Three former Chief Ministers of Maharashtra — Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Ashok Chavan, are slated to depose before the Adarsh judicial commission next week. They will be questioned on their role in granting permissions to the controversial society.
Union Power Minister, Mr. Shinde, will depose before the commission on June 25. Union Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Deshmukh, has been summoned to remain present on June 27. Mr. Chavan will depose on June 30.
Official sources said a special meeting was held at the commission office on June 22 for a discussion on their security arrangement and some other precautions.
Mr. Shinde was the Chief Minister between 2003-04. In one among the numerous files signed by him related to the Adarsh co-operative housing society, one of them allegedly allowed the allotment of 40 per cent flats for civilians. The proposal for this was sent by then Revenue Minister Mr. Chavan. In an affidavit filed before the commission, Mr. Shinde has said matters like land verification are verified by the Collectorate and he had merely signed the papers.
Mr. Deshmukh, too, had put the blame on the administration, saying the Collectorate generally looks into the land ownership and some other aspects, whereas the Chief Minister only signs the documents. He was also accused of granting additional FSI (Floor Space Index) to the society, by allowing the transfer of FSI from the BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking) plot adjacent to the society. But Mr. Deshmukh had said in his affidavit that the step was according to law.
Both of them have already been examined by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding their role in granting approvals to the society. The CBI had earlier said it was investigating the role of both politicians in the case.
The State government-appointed two-member judicial commission has also summoned Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Tope to depose before it on July 2.
