Sanction against Chavan on 'expected line': Digvijay Singh

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday said the sanction issued against former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in connection with the Adarsh Housing Society scam was on expected line but added that an inquiry should be done to unearth the names of the 'benami' holders.

With Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao on Friday giving his sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the prosecution of senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in connection with the Adarsh Housing Society corruption case, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday said his sanction was on expected line.

"His sanction was on expected line. But, an inquiry should also be marked to unearth the names of those people who are 'benami' holders of flats in Aadarsh."

"A flat is in the name of a driver, can a driver buy such a flat? Why there is no inquiry into that," he sought to know.

Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao today gave his sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for Chavan's prosecution in connection with the scam.

In a letter dated October 8, CBI Joint Director, Mumbai, had sought sanction for the prosecution of Chavan under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC) on the basis of fresh material - namely, the report of Justice Patil Commission of Inquiry and the observations of the Bombay High Court in a criminal revision application.

Under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC), no court should take cognisance of criminal charges against a public servant unless previous sanction to prosecute him is received from a competent authority. This safeguard is meant to help government servants perform their duties honestly without fear of malicious prosecution.

As per protocol, the Governor's decision is based on the advice of the state council of ministers, which recommended that he sanction the prosecution.

Chavan was among the 13 people chargesheeted by the CBI in the Adarsh scam in July 2012. Though other accused, including top IAS officers and office bearers of Adarsh Housing Society, a 30-storey high-rise in Colaba, were arrested, Chavan's prosecution required permission from the Governor.

Chavan was forced to quit in November 2010 after it emerged that three of his relatives had been given apartments in the 30-storey building.