Adarsh probe: Panel summons Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan

The inquiry commission probing the Adarsh Housing Society scam has issued summons to former Maharashtra chief ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ashok Chavan to appear before it as witnesses.

The two-member commission, which summoned Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde last week, issued summons to Deshmukh, presently Union minister for rural development, and Chavan on Wednesday.

Chavan, who had to step down as the state chief minister last year following the Adarsh controversy, has been named among the 14 accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation in its probe into the scam.

Chavan, the then state revenue minister, is accused of recommending 40 per cent allotment of flats in the Adarsh Society, originally meant for Kargil war widows, to civilians. His relatives allegedly got flats in the building.

Deshmukh, during his tenure as chief minister, had dealt with files pertaining to the high-rise in upscale Colaba.

Both the ex-CMs have now been added to the list of 17 witnesses summoned last week.

The list includes State Minister for Water Resources Sunil Tatkare, Adarsh Society's General Secretary R C Thakur, former Principal Secretary of Urban Development department Ramanand Tiwari, Congress leader K L Gidwani, former Collector of Mumbai, Pradeep Vyas and former Under Secretary of Urban Development department P V Deshmukh.

The commission is presently recording the evidence of the first witness, Brigadier Deepak Saxena of the Army Headquarters (Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat).