By IANS,
Mumbai : Nearly 13 months after it was set up to probe the Adarsh Society scam, the two-member inquiry commission is likely to submit its interim report to the state government by mid-March, official sources said Friday.
The interim report would throw light on two key issues of the total 13 figuring in the entire affair – the ownership of the prime plot of land in south Mumbai’s Colaba, and whether it was reserved for Kargil war widows and survivors or relatives.
The commission Friday accepted an application filed by the state government two weeks ago seeking an interim report on the two (aforementioned) issues being probed.
As a precursor to preparing its interim report by the middle of next month, the commission directed all the concerned parties – the Adarsh Society, state government and defence ministry – to submit their arguments on the two issues from next Thursday (March 01).
However, the complainant in the case, Simpreet Singh claimed that the development is “fishy and intended to give a pre-mature clean chit” to the concerned officials in the scam, with the Budget Session of Maharashtra Legislature starting March 15.
“The reply to both the questions – land ownership and reservation – shall be in the negative. Though there are other more important issues raised in the complaint, the government wants only these two to be addressed first,” Singh told IANS.
The two-member commission – consisting of retired Justice J. A. Patil and former chief secretary P. Subramaniam – was set up early January 2011, a few months after the scam was exposed, to inquire and submit its report within three months.
However, it was granted extensions periodically and is now expected to submit its final report May 2012.
The Adarsh Housing Society scam had rocked the state government and claimed the job of then chief minister Ashok Chavan.