The report of the Adarsh Commission of Inquiry, which was tabled in the Maharashtra Assembly on Friday, indicted 12 retired IAS officers for violation of the All India Services rules.
The Commission indicted former secretaries to the Chief Minister Subhash Lalla and C.S. Sangitrao, former Mumbai Collectors Pradeep Vyas and I.A. Kundanand former Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak. Former secretaries in the Urban Development Ministry Ramanand Tiwari and T.C. Benjamin were also named.
The report also names former Chief Secretary D.K. Sankaran, former MMRDA commissioners T. Chandrashekhar and Suresh Joshi, former urban development deputy secretary P.V. Deshmukh and former chief of town and country planning Umesh Luktake.
The Commission indicted five officers for “giving permissions as quid pro quo.” Among them is Mr. Lalla, whose daughter and mother were given flats in the building after he helped facilitate clearances. The report named Mr. Phatak, whose son was given a flat in the building. As Municipal Commissioner he had cleared additional height for the building. The wife of Mr. Vyas, who cleared the allotments to the society, also received a flat. As a collector he had cleared the allotments to the society. The sons for Mr, Sankaran and Mr. Sangitrao were also given flats in the building.
The remaining seven officers were criticised in the report for “being negligent on their duties” and for “misusing their positions” to grant clearances. Former Mumbai Collector I.A. Kundan and Urban Development deputy secretary P.V. Deshmukh had flats registered under their names, mentioned the report.
“Most of the civil servants have, by now, already retired from service. It is therefore for the government to consider whether they can still be proceeded against departmentally” added the report.
Apart from the IAS officers, the inquiry report also passed strictures against some Army officers for “failing in their duty and adopting such a conduct which proved helpful to Adarsh CHS in getting possession of the land in question otherwise than by due procedure.”
Accusing the chief promoter of the Adarsh Society Kanhaiyalal Gidwani and the secretary R.C. Thakur of “dishonest intentions,” the report said Major Genral T.K. Koul, Col. T.K.Sinha, Major General A.R. Kumar and Brigadier M.M.Wanchoo “conspired” with the chief promoter and the secretary.
However, the Commission also noted that army officers were governed by the Defence Service (conduct) rules. It was for the Ministry of Defence to inquire into their conduct and take appropriate action, it said.
The commission exonerated Mr.Shivajirao Deshmukh –former secretary of the Marketing and Cooperation department, Mr.Uttam Khobragade –former General Manager the BEST and Mr.Shrinivas Patil – Ex.Member of parliament and an IAS officer. The report said , “there is nothing on record to show that these people were connected directly or indirectly with any kind of matters of Adarsh Society”.
