SRA scam: Court to hear anticipatory bail plea on Tuesday

Mumbai, Sep 24 (UNI) The special ACB court will on September 26 hear the plea of six people who have moved the court for anticipatory bail, fearing arrest in the alleged 2001 Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme scam.

Special ACB judge P N Deshmukh has fixed Tuesday for hearing the matter after special public prosecutor R V Kini filed his reply to the plea.

Those who have moved the court for anticipatory bail are Prakash Gadiyar, Kiran Mahadik, Ramesh Bahndari (all developers), Sai Siddhi Vinayak Cooperative Housing Society vice chairman Bajrang Motiram Pawaskar, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation assistant commissioner Narendra Barde, and SRA accounts officer Vishwanath Salvi.

The Anti Corruption bureau sleuths have already arrested seven people last week in connection with the scam. The seven, in ACB custody till September 27, include Subhash Velji Chawda (architect), Netaji Gopichand Shinde (chief promoter), Subhash Parulekar (Retd rent collector), Sudin Baba Achrekar (colony officer), Jayant Joshi (Retd senior colony officer), Sanjay Joshi (SRA assistant accounts officer) and Suresh Gunjal (SRA clerk).

Arun Ramavatar Pathak had filed a private complaint last year against Ghadiyar, Mahadik and Bhandari (the developers), alleging that there were irregularities in the distribution of flats under the SRA scheme.

Pathak, in his complaint, stated that in 2001, a proposed housing society was formed by residents of Sukurwadi in the name of Siddhi Vinayak Cooperative Housing Society under the SRA scheme and the the developers were appointed to develop the Sukurwadi slum.

In his complaint, Pathak said the three developers indulged in irregularities and made allotments to 95 fictitious tenants.

While moving the court for anticipatory bail, the three developers and the other three have contended that the offence is being investigated since the past one year and all documents in connection with the case have been seized. Therefore, their custody is unwarranted.

UNI PVN MAZ KD VC1022