Cabinet meet likely on Jan 2 to discuss Adarsh scam report

The state cabinet is expected to meet on January 2 with a view to revisit its earlier decision to reject the Adarsh commission report. The commission had indicted several former chief ministers of the Congress and several bureaucrats.

The cabinet had earlier rejected the report, but chief minister Prithviraj Chavan did a rethink following Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s public criticism of the rejection of the findings.
According officials from the chief minister’s office (CMO), the meeting was called on the eve of the New Year. “But most of the ministers are busy in their respective constituencies. As a matter of convenience, the meeting has been convened on January 2,” an official said, requesting anonymity.

Another official said, the commission’s report is not officially on the agenda of the cabinet meeting. “However, it will be taken as an impromptu subject in the middle of the meeting. The cabinet will seek the opinion of legal experts on the issue. It is still not clear if the cabinet is empowered to reject its earlier decision or whether there is a need to convene a special session of the legislature to consider the issue,” another official added.

Ravi Kadam, former advocate general of the state, said it is for the state government to accept or reject the findings.

“The government can act through the cabinet by recalling its earlier decision. Since the report was tabled in the legislature, it must discuss it. But acceptance of the report or its rejection can only be done by the government. If the report is accepted by the government then they must act on it,” he said.