No relief for Ashok Chavan in Adarsh scam

Bombay HC rejects CBI plea seeking to drop his name as an accused

Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan on Tuesday received a major jolt, after the high court here rejected the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s plea to drop his name as an accused in the Adarsh Housing Society scam.

The CBI special court had earlier rejected the agency’s plea to drop Chavan’s name. After this development, the Congress might think twice for considering Chavan’s name for the post of president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.

Chavan, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Nanded seat,  told Business Standard: “I am yet to see the order. After I get the copy, I will consult legal experts for future action.”

The CBI had argued since the Maharashtra’s former governor K Sankaranarayanan had refused to grant sanction to prosecute Chavan for criminal conspiracy and cheating among other offences under the Indian Penal Code,  it should be allowed to discharge Chavan from the case.  Chavan had resigned as chief minister in November 2010 following the expose on the Adarsh scam. The two-member judicial commission, headed by retired high court judge J A Patil, had indicted  four former chief ministers — Ashok Chavan, late Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and Shivajirao Nilangekar Patil — for “blatant violations” of statutory provisions.

The judicial commission has observed Chavan had given clearances and permissions for a return favour. Chavan’s relatives Seema Sharma (her husband Vinod is Chavan’s brother-in-law), Madanlal Sharma (brother of Manoharlal Sharma who was Chavan’s father-in-law) and late Bhagwati Sharma (mother-in-law) were granted membership of the Adarsh CHS.

“It would be naive to believe that the grant of membership and allotment of flats to the close relatives of Ashok Chavan was a matter of pure co-incidence. We are of the opinion that there is certainly a nexus between the acts of Ashok Chavan and the benefit derived by his close relatives in the form of membership.” the commission had said.

It clearly indicates the grant of requisite permissions/clearances of the file of Adarsh CHS was by way of quid pro quo by Ashok Chavan,” the commission had said.

However, the Congress-NCP government had rejected the report but later decided to partially implement it after Congress vice president's intervention.

Congress insiders said Chavan was one of the leading contenders for the post of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee's president for being dynamic and grassroots leader. '' Congress had won a record 82 seats in the 2009 assembly poll when Chavan was state chief minister. Chavan successfully weathered Modi wave and won general election from his home town Nanded held in May. Chavan's appointment would have definitely helped rejuvenate the party organization which also faced humiliating defeat in the assembly poll,'' noted a Congress party functionary.
 

Adarsh trial

• CBI has named Ashok Chavan as accused number 11 in Adarsh scam
   
• CBI had sought approval of Maharashtra's former Governor K Sankaranarayanan to prosecute Chavan but it was rejected by the latter
   
• Thereafter CBI approached the high court with a plea to drop Chavan's name
   
• Chavan may approach the Supreme Court after consultations with legal experts