Mumbai: Congress MP Ashok Chavan has approached the Bombay High Court, challenging a decision of Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao granting sanction to the CBI to prosecute him in the Adarsh housing society scam.
In February, Mr. Rao had granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Mr. Chavan for offences under Sections 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, and under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society case.
The CBI had accused the former Chief Minister of approving additional floor space index for Adarsh society in return for two flats for his relatives and allotting 40 per cent of the flats to civilians.
Chavan, in his petition filed recently, challenged the sanction order and said it was “arbitrary, illegal and unjust” and passed without “proper application of mind” and with “malafide intentions”.
The petition came up for hearing on December 22, but the hearing was adjourned. It will come up for hearing before an HC division bench on January 23, 2017.
Chavan stepped down from the post of Chief Minister in November 2010 over the allegations. The CBI had named him as an accused in its FIR. But in December 2013, the then Governor K. Sankaranarayanan had refused permission to the investigating agency to prosecute Mr. Chavan in the scam.
However, in March last year, the High Court dismissed a plea made by Mr. Chavan seeking deletion of his name from the case as the Governor had refused to grant sanction. Following this, the CBI re-approached the Governor seeking sanction. — PTI
