Mumbai: The two-member inquiry commission probing the Adarsh housing society scam on Thursday issued notice to Maharashtra cabinet minister Jayant Patil who had handled the crucial Adarsh files.
Patil, presently minister for rural development, was finance minister from 1999 to 2003 and 2004 to 2008 when Vilasrao Deshmukh was the chief minister.
The commission headed by retired Justice J A Patil today issued notice to Patil asking him to file his affidavit by July 7 in the case. He will be called for deposition later, according to sources.
Patil`s name was mentioned by Deshmukh during his deposition before the commission early this week. The union minister had told the panel that it was impossible for a chief minister to look into every file or proposal.
"The revenue, finance and urban development departments and their ministers go through the file seeking allotment of government land and put up their notes in the file. If the secretary to the CM finds that all the three ministers have approved the file in concurrence then he does not go into the details of the case and briefs the CM," Deshmukh had said.
According to the norms, the finance department decides on the valuation of the land to be allotted to a private society after due verification.
However, Deshmukh in his deposition had also said that when the government issued Letter of Intent (LOI) in favour of Adarsh society, the finance department had not done valuation of the land.
Meanwhile, the commission would record the evidence of former chief minister Ashok Chavan on June 30. Chavan, who had to step down from the post of CM soon after the scam came to light, has been named as one of the 14 accused by CBI.
PTI
