Adarsh scam: Another former CM in CBI scanner

Mumbai, Mar 13: After Ashok Chavan, another former Maharashtra Chief Minister has come under CBI scanner in the multi-crore Adarsh housing scam with the probe agency saying names of two more persons will be added to the list of 14 accused in the chargesheet.

CBI, which registered a FIR in the scam in January last year against 14 persons including Chavan, informed the Bombay High Court that names of two more persons will figure in the chargesheet. The agency is expected to complete its probe into the scam and file its chargesheet within two months.

According to sources privy to the investigation, one of the two persons is another former chief minister of Maharashtra, who is currently a Union minister.

"The FIR names 14 accused. Investigations have revealed complicity of two more persons. Their names would be included in the chargesheet," CBI counsels K Sudhakar and Ejaz Khan had told the high court yesterday.

Refusing to divulge the names of the two new persons, sources in the CBI said today the politician concerned had dealt with files pertaining to the 31-storey building in south Mumbai during his tenure as chief minister.

"We are still gathering evidence against all the accused including the two. Investigations indicate that several rules were flouted and favour was shown to the society while granting permission," the sources said.

The CBI has recorded statements of Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushil Kumar Shinde, both former chief inisters and at present Union Ministers, but only as a "witness". According to sources, the politician under the scanner during his chief ministership passed a proposal made by the society seeking deletion of an adjoining land reserved for BEST and changing it to residential type.

PTI