New Delhi: The CBI, probing the Adarsh
Housing Society scam, will soon examine Union minister
Vilasrao Deshmukh, who had dealt with files pertaining to the
society during his tenure as Maharashtra chief minister.
The agency, which had registered a case against 14 people
including former chief minister Ashok Chavan, had on July 31
recorded the statement of Union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde
after taking the requisite permission.
Both Shinde and Deshmukh, at present Union minister for
Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, had dealt with
files and passed proposals pertaining to the 31-storey plush
building in south Mumbai, which was allegedly granted
permissions after flouting rules and regulations.
"Deshmukh`s statement would also be recorded soon. The
minister is only a witness as of now," a senior official in
CBI said here today.
CBI, which had registered the FIR in the scam in January,
is likely to file charge sheet against the 14 accused soon.
The Bombay High Court had yesterday directed the agency to
expedite its investigations and submit charge sheet at the
earliest.
During his tenure as the chief minister, Deshmukh, who
was also heading Urban Development Department, gave approval
to a proposal made by the society seeking deletion of an
adjoining land reserved for BEST and change it to residential
type.
Deshmukh had, however, refuted allegations that he had
showed undue favour to Adarsh and had told a judicial panel
set up to probe the case that the deletion of reservation of
the plot reserved for BEST and its conversion to residential
purposes was in accordance with law.
"Neither was any loss caused to the state exchequer nor
any favour was shown. The reservation was changed following
the procedure prescribed under MRTP. The interests of BEST
were protected," Deshmukh had said in his affidavit before the
commission.
CBI, which was handed over the probe by the Defence
Ministry, registered a case on January 29 against 14 people
including Ashok Chavan, retired army officials and
bureaucrats.
The agency has questioned over 100 witnesses in the case
and some of the accused including former commissioner of BMC
Jairaj Phatak, Congress leader K L Gidwani, suspended state
information commissioner Ramanand Tiwari, former deputy
secretary of state urban development department P V Deshmukh
and Adarsh society`s secretary R C Thakur.
PTI
