The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday moved the Bombay High Court against a trial court’s order that refused to drop the former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s name from the list of accused in the Adarsh case.
The CBI’s move came on the day Mr. Chavan filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha polls from Nanded.
In December 2013, Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayan had refused to allow the CBI permission to prosecute Mr. Chavan.
The agency had approached the Governor after charge-sheeting Mr. Chavan for cheating, criminal conspiracy and under Sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The agency then moved the CBI special court asking for permission to drop Mr. Chavan from its list of accused. But in January, the court refused permission. It is against this order that the CBI had moved the High Court.
In its application in the Bombay High Court, the CBI argued that the trial court had not gone into the merits of the case. “The trial court had refused permission, but the Governor’s decision cannot be challenged in any court. So we were left with no option but to move the High Court,” CBI sources told The Hindu . The CBI spokesperson said the petition was filed on Tuesday after taking legal opinion.
Mr. Chavan resigned as Chief Minister in 2010.
