The Adarsh housing scam was unearthed in November 2010.
Ashok Chavan, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, will not be prosecuted in the Adarsh housing scam case in Mumbai, the High Court said today. This is the second setback in two days for the CBI, which was yesterday told by a special court that it had failed to prove the 2G scam. Ashok Chavan, 59, had to quit as chief minister in 2010 over charges that he brazenly flouted rules to help Adarsh Society in exchange for apartments. The Adarsh housing scam was unearthed in November 2010 and CBI began its probe.
In the following year, an FIR was registered against 14 persons, including former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, under IPC section 120 (b) for criminal conspiracy and various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.
A charge sheet was then filed before a special CBI court on July 4, 2012. Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan, however, refused sanction to prosecute Ashok Chavan.
Following this, Sessions court and Bombay High Court refused his petition to delete his name as accused in the case. In October 2015, the CBI submitted fresh evidence to Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao seeking sanction once again. This time, the governor granted permission to the CBI to prosecute Ashok Chavan.
Mr Chavan then approached the High Court challenging Governor's order. Today the High Court allowed his petition and quashed Governor's order granting sanction to prosecute him.
(With Inputs From PTI)