The Adarsh Apartments in Mubai became a symbol of corruption and the CBI now wants to prosecute the then chief minister Ashok Chavan for his alleged role.
The CBI wants to prosecute the former chief minister of Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan of the Congress, for his alleged role in the illegally-built Adarsh Apartments that became a symbol of corruption. If Governor Vidyasagar Rao sanctions the request, the Congress faces a new round of embarrassment about graft among its top leaders.
Mr Chavan was Chief Minister when reports of the Mumbai swindle erupted in 2010 - he was forced to step down few months later.
In 2013, then Governor K Sankaranarayan had refused to let Mr Chavan be prosecuted due to lack of sufficient evidence.
The Adarsh Housing Society was built in the heart of Mumbai to house war veterans and widows, but a probe conducted by CBI found politicians, ministers and bureaucrats had been granted apartments cheaply.
Mr Chavan was forced to quit in November 2010 after it emerged that three of his relatives had been given apartments in the 31-storey building.
The Adarsh scam was among a retinue of corruption scandals that at the time hammered the Congress-led coalition government at the Centre. In 2014, Maharashtra spurned the Congress in the state election too, allowing the BJP and Shiv Sena to form a coalition government.