Adarsh scam: complaint filed against Shinde

Mumbai: RTI activists on Saturday filed a complaint with the anti-corruption bureau against former Maharashtra chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde for passing orders favouring the controversial Adarsh Society when the election code of conduct was in force.

Adarsh scam, in which a multi-storey building was allowed to come up in the Coastal Regulation Zone in South Mumbai, has led to removal of Ashok Chavan as chief minister.

RTI activists Simpreet Singh, Santosh Daundkar, and lawyer YP Singh on Saturday alleged at a press conference in Mumbai that "Ashok Chavan played a very small role" in the affair.

According to the complaint Shinde issued orders approving allotment of flats to 51 persons in Adarsh society.

According to Simpreet Singh's draft complaint to the ACB, Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde (then chief minister) issued orders approving allotment of flats to 51 persons in Adarsh society on August 24, 2004 when the code of conduct for Maharashtra Assembly elections was in force.

"File came from revenue department to Shinde, and went back. But there are no inward - outward entry/exit numbers on it indicating the date," said advocate Y P Singh, who produced a copy of notings on the file.

"ACB should file FIR against Shinde for granting pecuniary benefits to 51 persons during the code of conduct period," he said.

Shinde was not available for comments.

The complaint also names Subhash Lala, the then principal secretary to the Chief Minister.

According to advocate Singh, Lala's mother Sushila Shaligram was allotted a flat in the society after she applied for it falsely claiming to be an employee of the Military Engineering Service when in reality she was only a housewife.

Also, when Shinde was the chief minister and the code of conduct had kicked in, he approved the revenue department's proposal to give the land to Adarsh at 20 per cent of the market value, advocate Singh alleged.

The proposal was not forwarded to the finance department as is required, he said.

The complaint, apart from naming Shinde and Lala, also seeks registration of an FIR against Congress leader Kanhaiyalal Gidwani (who is a member of Adarsh society), its promoter RC Thakur and the then revenue secretary RC Joshi.

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