Adarsh scam: CBI seeks governor’s nod to prosecute Ashok Chavan

MUMBAI: The CBI has sought Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayanan’s permission to prosecute former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam case.
Chavan was among the 13 people chargesheeted by the investigation agency last year. It accused him of participating in a criminal conspiracy to grant concessions to Adarsh society, in return for which his relatives got apartments in the building.
“We’ve received a communication from the CBI, seeking the governor’s permission to prosecute Chavan under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” a senior Raj Bhavan bureaucrat said on Friday. “The proposal is under consideration. So far no decision has been made.”
Apart from the governor’s nod, the CBI is waiting for the state government’s approval to prosecute bureaucrats Jairaj Phatak and Pradeep Vyas (both under suspension) in the Adarsh scam. It had asked for the state’s consent last August.
“The communication from the CBI was brought to the CM’s notice,” said a senior official. But no progress has been made beyond that.
Following a series of reports in TOI on the Adarsh scam, Chavan had resigned as CM in November 2010.
Faced with a public outcry, the government had later set up a two-member commission to investigate the scam. The panel submitted its report this year, but it is yet to be tabled in the state legislature.