Adarsh scam: Tiwari not to quit despite govt pressure

Mumbai, Jan 16 (PTI) Putting the MaharashtraGovernment in a quandary, a defiant Ramanand Tiwari today saidhe will not quit as Information Commissioner and willchallenge the recommendation to the governor to suspend himfollowing his alleged involvement in the Adarsh Housing scam.

"I am not quitting but will challenge the suspensionprocess," Tiwari said after a 10-minute meeting with theMaharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan at Raj Bhavan here.

Alleging "misconduct" by Tiwari in the Adarsh HousingSociety scam, the State Cabinet had on January 11 recommendedhis suspension to the governor.

The former IAS official said during the meeting, he"presented" his side of the story.

"I am not going to step down and I have informed theGovernor. The Government has already appointed a commission toprobe the matter and truth would be out soon," Tiwari said,adding, "I am willing to face the inquiry."

"I feel that any other action at this stage against mewill not be fair.....the media has made out that I am the mainculprit. I deny that," he said.

Tiwari said during his stint as urban developmentdepartment secretary several files came to him for clearances.

"However, the decision to clear land reservation andland transfers is a decision taken by the state and not byme," he added.

"I continue to attend office as I have not got anycommunication from the state government asking me not toattend office," Tiwari, a retired IAS officer, whose son ownsa flat in Adarsh society, told PTI earlier this week.

To a query on whether he should resign on moralgrounds, the official said, "I cannot be held guilty for myson having a flat in the society." (More) PTI SSG VT VKV VMN