Adarsh Scam: SC issues notice to Centre on PV Deshmukh's plea

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to Centre on petition of former Urban Deputy Secretary of Maharashtra, P.V. Deshmukh in connection with the Adarsh scam.

The apex court said that he is seeking intervention in the case.

Deshmukh was a deputy secretary in the Urban Development Department when Adarsh files were cleared by the state government. His intervention plea was earlier rejected by the Bombay High Court.

The Supreme Court had last month directed the Centre to take over the Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai within a week, saying that its present incumbents would not be allowed to deal with its administration or other matters related to it.

The society was originally meant to be a six-storey structure to house Kargil war heroes and war widows, but was converted into a 100-metre-tall building with politicians, bureaucrats and army officers allegedly conspiring to get flats allotted to them in the cooperative society at below-market rates.

The scam was unearthed in November 2010 which forced the then Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan to resign.