Mumbai: Congress lawmaker Ashok Chavan has approached the Bombay High Court challenging a decision of Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao granting sanction to CBI to prosecute him in the Adarsh housing society scam.
In February this year, Governor Rao had granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Mr Chavan for criminal conspiracy and cheating and under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society case.
The CBI had accused the former state Chief Minister of approving additional floor space index for Adarsh society in return for two flats for his relatives. He was also charged with illegally approving, as the then Revenue Minister, allotment of 40 per cent of the flats to civilians.
Mr Chavan, in his petition filed recently, challenged the sanction order and said it was "arbitrary, illegal and unjust" and passed without "proper application of mind" and with "malafide intentions".
The petition, which came up for hearing on December 22, was then adjourned. It will now come up for hearing before a division bench of the high court on January 23, 2017.
Earlier, Mr Chavan was forced to step down from the post of the Chief Minister in November 2010 after the allegations emerged against him.
While the CBI named him as an accused in its FIR, in December 2013 the then Governor K Sankaranarayanan had refused permission to it to prosecute Mr Chavan in the scam, leaving the central probe agency with no choice but to close the case against him.
However, in March last year, the high court dismissed a plea made by Mr Chavan, who is the sitting Lok Sabha member from Nanded, seeking deletion of his name from the case, as the Governor had refused to grant sanction.
Following this, the CBI re-approached the Governor seeking sanction, which was granted in February this year.
In February this year, Governor Rao had granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Mr Chavan for criminal conspiracy and cheating and under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society case.
The CBI had accused the former state Chief Minister of approving additional floor space index for Adarsh society in return for two flats for his relatives. He was also charged with illegally approving, as the then Revenue Minister, allotment of 40 per cent of the flats to civilians.
The petition, which came up for hearing on December 22, was then adjourned. It will now come up for hearing before a division bench of the high court on January 23, 2017.
Advertisement
While the CBI named him as an accused in its FIR, in December 2013 the then Governor K Sankaranarayanan had refused permission to it to prosecute Mr Chavan in the scam, leaving the central probe agency with no choice but to close the case against him.
Advertisement
Following this, the CBI re-approached the Governor seeking sanction, which was granted in February this year.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Ashok Chavan On Rahul Gandhi's "Weeping Senior Leader Who Quit" Comment "He Spoke To My Mother, Weeping": Rahul Gandhi On "Senior Leader" Who Quit Ashok Chavan, 5 Candidates Elected Unopposed To Rajya Sabha From Maharashtra NEET-PG Exam This Month, Question Papers To Be Prepped 2 Hours Prior PM's Behaviour Advice To NDA MPs After Ruckus Over Rahul Gandhi's Remarks Indian-American Man's Rs 8,300 Crore Fraud Scheme Shakes Top US Investors CSEET: Company Secretary Mock Test To Be Held On July 3 Many Pani Puri Samples Had Cancer-Causing Chemicals: Karnataka Minister Shilpa In A Yellow Saree In Toronto Is Giving 90s Bollywood Fashion Vibes Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.