Bombay High Court orders demolition of Adarsh Society building

The Bombay High Court on Friday ordered the demolition of Adarsh Society building in Mumbai and called for an inquiry against politicians, ministers and officers who were involved in Housing Society scam.

The bench ordered Maharashtra govt to initiate criminal proceedings against bureaucrats and politicians for the illegal construction of Adarsh Society. It has given 12 weeks time to the Maharashtra govt to appeal in the Supreme Court against its order.

Earlier this week, the Bombay High Court had dismissed an application seeking a direction to CBI to arraign former Maharashtra Chief Minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar as an accused in the multi-crore scam.

Justice Sadhana Jadhav had dismissed the plea of social activist Pravin Wategaonkar who had sought a direction to CBI to include Mr. Nilangekar as an accused in the scam on the ground that he had during his tenure as the state Revenue Minister allegedly illegally granted certain approvals to the Adarsh society.

The petition had alleged that Mr. Nilangekar’s son-in-law Arun Dawle was allotted a flat in the plush high-rise in south Mumbai.

One of the big faces accused in the scam is Ashok Chavan, a Lok Sabha member from Nanded and MPCC president. He had to step down as Chief Minister after the scam surfaced in 2010. He was among 12 persons chargesheeted by the CBI in connection with the case.

CBI had alleged that Chavan suggested inclusion of civilian members in Adarsh Housing Society, meant for war veterans and widows of defence personnel, to secure flats for his relatives in the plush complex situated at Colaba in south Mumbai.