Mumbai:
Recent photographs of Vilasrao Deshmukh show him beaming at the lavish wedding of his son, actor Riteish, to co-star Genelia D'Souza. Bollywood's biggest and most beautiful were in glitzy attendance. But today's picture is considerably more grim for Mr Deshmukh.
The union minister has been indicted by the Bombay High Court for misusing his office when he was Chief Minister of Maharashtra to give 21 acres of land to film director Subhash Ghai. The court today said that the deal which allowed Mr Ghai to set up a film institute was "illegal, arbitrary and without authority of law." Mr Ghai has also been told to return the land that houses his Whistling Woods film school in Film City, Goregaon, to the government.
The agreement for a joint venture between Mr Ghai and the state government's film department was signed in May 2000. "It is not acceptable that a Chief Minister will personally sign such an agreement, which is illegal. It is clear that Vilasrao has extended undue favours to Ghai's Whistling Woods," the judges said. There was worse to come for the minister. "Here is a case where all norms of transparency and reasonableness have been given a complete go-bye." The judges referred to a report by the government's auditor that said the land bought to have been valued at Rs 31.20 crores as opposed to the three-crore price tag used by the government.
Mr Ghai has said he will challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court.
For the Congress, the verdict comes just as Mumbai gets ready to vote for its civic body after a nationwide movement against corruption led by Gandhian Anna Hazare. "I will study the High Court order. If it's against the interests of the state, we will challenge it. Otherwise we will accept it," said his colleague and current chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan.
The only mitigating factor for Mr Deshmukh was that the judges said there is no evidence to suggest that the "undue favours" were granted to help his son's career in the film industry. Therefore, the judges said, a CBI investigation is not needed.
The verdict is the result of a Public Interest Litigation of PIL filed by four farmers from Latur and Osmanabad. They allege Mr Deshmukh first misused his office to corner the land for Mr Ghai, and then offered it to him at low rents based on rates in 1995. The court agreed, asking Mr Ghai to pay 58 crores, a calculation based on market rates.
Mr Ghai has been asked to immediately return 14 acres not being used currently. The balance, on which his film academy is built, has to be handed back in two years' time, so that students currently enrolled there can complete their courses uninterrupted by today's verdict.
Mr Deshmukh has run into trouble before on account of perceived favours to Bollywood. In 2008, he was criticized for allowing director Ram Gopal Varma to accompany him on a visit to the Taj Hotel in the aftermath of 26/11.
(With PTI inputs)