Mumbai: The CBI on Wednesday submitted progress
report to the Bombay High Court on the probe in the Adarsh
Housing Society case, involving 14 accused, including former
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.
Additional Solicitor General Darius Khambata handed the
report, in a sealed cover, to the division bench of Justices
Ranjana Desai and R V More. The bench asked CBI to file a
further report after four weeks.
The matter has now been posted for hearing on July 20.
CBI had earlier informed the court that it had
registered case against 14 persons following which the court
had asked the petitioner, Simpreet Singh, to forward his
complaint and whatever documents he had to the agency.
Singh, a social activist, had originally sought transfer
of case from state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to the CBI.
Later, on its own, the state government decided to hand the
case over to the central agency.
On the last occasion, Singh`s lawyer had said that High
Court must supervise the probe, alleging that even Union
Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was involved in the scam, but his
name does not figure in CBI`s FIR.
However, the court felt it was investigating agency`s
prerogative as to whom to name in the FIR.
CBI filed the FIR on January 29 under various sections
of IPC, including criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery,
besides sections under Prevention of Corruption Act.
Meanwhile, hearing another PIL which demands that
provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act be invoked in
the Adarsh case, the division bench today asked CBI and the
Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file replies by June 29.
Petitioner Pravin Wategaonkar contends that Adarsh is a
fit case for probe under PML Act, and it is ED`s
responsibility to conduct probe under the Act.
The PIL says it is necessary that the court monitors
probe under PML Act, especially pertaining to those Adarsh
Society members, whose "loans" were claimed to have come
from sources other than the banks and the financial
institutions.
Even those, who are claiming immunity now saying that
they have quit the membership Society, should be investigated
with regard to the source of funds used to acquire the
membership in the first place, it says.
PTI
