CBI grills three main accused in Adarsh scam

Mumbai, Feb 3 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday questioned three main accused in the controversial Adarsh Housing Society scam including Congress leader K L Gidwani and retired Brigadier M M Wanchoo.

The officials of the investigating agency grilled Adarsh Society's General Secretary R C Thakur, Gidwani and Wanchoo at the CBI office in Colaba here, and confronted them with documents seized during the raids conducted in connection with the scam.

"We were issued notices yesterday asking us to remain present before the CBI. We are being questioned. I am co-operating with the agency," said Gidwani.

The CBI had informed the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that it has registered case against 13 accused in the Adarsh Housing Society scam.

Earlier on Sunday, the CBI carried out raids across the country in connection with the scam.

The CBI had on Saturday filed an FIR in the case. The FIR named former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan along with 12 others.

The developments came after the Bombay High Court pulled up the CBI last week for its slow investigation into the case.

The High Court had asked the CBI to complete its probe into the Adarsh housing society scam in two weeks. The CBI had also been asked to take a decision on filing FIRs in the case.

The Adarsh scam claimed its first victim last year in the form of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who was forced to resign after reports surfaced that his kin owned flats in the society.

After Chavan, top bureaucrats too faced the axe, most notably among them being Maharashtra"""s Chief Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari and Human Rights Commissioner Subhash K Lalla.

The 31-storey Adarsh Housing Society, originally meant for Kargil war heroes, landed in controversy after media reports said that several politicians, bureaucrats and defence personnel owned flats there. (ANI)