Benami flats in Adarsh were bought under SC/ST quotas: CBI

Many of the 'benami' flats (the flats held in the name of a proxy buyer) in the scam-tainted Adarsh Society here were purchased under the quotas for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and 'weaker sections of the society', the CBI has said in its supplementary chargesheet.
"In as many as 22 cases...Flats are allotted to benami-dars under the SC/ST quota," said the chargesheet, filed yesterday before the Special CBI Judge S C Dighe here.
The accused, including the late congress leader Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, R C Thakur and Major General (retd) T K Kaul, all of whom were not eligible to get the flats under the quotas, propped up close associates as the proxy buyers, it said.

"They made such persons apply for membership in Adarsh and financed them to buy flats in their names by the means of cheating and deception...," the CBI has said.
Meanwhile, according to the chargesheet, Abhay and Anand Sancheti, who hold nine benami flats, were roped in by Thakur who assured them about membership, and subsequently Sanchetis paid Rs 3 crore to the Adarsh Society.
The supplementary chargesheet names 23 financiers, including the Sancheti Group and 22 co-conspirators including members of the housing society.

The agency was looking into the nexus and quid pro quo angles in 33 benami properties out of the 103 flats. This aspect was probed under the Benami Transactions Prohibition Act.

Earlier, the judicial commission appointed by the Maharashtra government had said that 22 of the flats were held in the benami way.
Though the agency did not name former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan as holding any benami property, the sources said that the other 81 members who are yet to be probed include Chavan's relatives.