Maha govt partially accepts Adarsh report, gives clean chit to

Nudged by Rahul Gandhi, Maharashtra government today partially accepted the Adarsh scam judicial panel report and announced action against indicted bureaucrats but gave a clean chit to politicians barring former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, saying "no criminality was revealed against them".
After the Cabinet reviewed its decision to reject the judicial commission's report, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters, "In case of political patronage, the commission did not draw the conclusion that they indulged in a criminal act. In case of political patronage mentioned in Adarsh panel report, we found no criminality was revealed."
The reconsideration came a week after the Congress Vice President's public disapproval of the government's decision to reject the findings of the two-member panel, which had indicted officials and politicians including four former chief ministers for "blatant violations" of statutory provisions.

The Cabinet had rejected the report before tabling it in the Legislative Assembly on December 20. Chavan had then said the decision to reject the findings had been taken "in public interest".
"Personally, I don't agree with that decision. They (Maharashtra) should reconsider that," Rahul had said in Delhi a week ago at a press conference where Chavan was present. Chavan had later said he would consult his Cabinet before taking a decision.
Citing a Supreme Court order, Chavan made it clear that no separate FIRs would be filed by the state government against those figuring in the CBI FIR or the charge sheet.

The report said Adarsh society enjoyed political patronage of four former chief ministers-- Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Shivajirao Nilengekar Patil-- and former Ministers for Urban Development Sunil Tatkare and Rajesh Tope.
"Those persons found guilty of quid pro quo and those against whom an FIR and charge sheet has been filed... There, as per the Supreme Court ruling in the past, that in case of same crime two different FIRs need not be filed," Chavan said.
To a query on how Ashok Chavan can escape scrutiny as a clear case of quid pro quo has been established against him in the report, the chief minister said, "CBI has already filed an FIR and charge sheet.