No evidence to prove home minister misused his position: Affidavit.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) gave a clean chit to Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in the Adarsh housing scam.
An affidavit was filed by the CBI before the Bombay high court, saying that there was no evidence to suggest that Shinde misused his official position during his tenure as the Maharashtra chief minister.
The affidavit was filed in response to activist Pravin Wategaonkar’s application, seeking that the CBI probe Shinde’s role in the Adarsh scam for allegedly owning a benami flat at the plush society in south Mumbai. K Babu, additional superintendent of police with the CBI, filed the affidavit on Thursday.
Stating that the agency does not see any merit in the application against Shinde, the affidavit reads: “CBI does not feel it legally necessary to name Sushilkumar Shinde as an accused. There is no evidence to suggest that Shinde abused his position as public servant for the benefit of someone from Khankhoje family in connivance with Adarsh office-bearers.”
Wategaonkar had alleged that Shinde had suggested the inclusion of Major NW Khankhoje as a society member. Wategaonkar’s application is based on the deposition by Shinde and former MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani before the Adarsh commission. Gidwani had said Shinde had asked for Khankhoje’s inclusion as a member. “Khankhoje’s membership may have been pursued by Gidwani but it cannot be confirmed as Gidwani has passed away. The CBI charge sheet states that civilian members in the society were included at Gidwani’s instance,” the affidavit reads.
Saying that there was nothing on record to substantiate Gidwani’s deposition to the commission that Khankhoje was included by Shinde, the affidavit says: “The investigation conducted by CBI does not reveal any family relationship between Khankhoje and Shinde.”
The investigating agency has also dismissed Wategaonkar’s allegations that Shinde had sent the list of members for re-verification which resulted in the inclusion of benami members. The CBI affidavit reads: “There is nothing on record to suggest that Shinde had insisted on 51 more members by rechecking/ substituting ineligible members before possession of land to be given to Adarsh society which resulted in addition of illegal members.”
A division bench of Justices PV Hardas and PN Deshmukh has kept the matter for hearing on September 26.
Activist speak
Pravin Wategaonkar, in his application, said that Sushilkumar Shinde (right)while deposing before the commission had said that the Adarsh file had come to him for clearance. After going through verification from the collector and officers of the revenue department, Shinde found only 20 of the 71 approved members eligible and had asked a recheck on the eligibility of the rest.
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