Benami flats in Adarsh were bought under SC/ST quotas: CBI

Mumbai: Many of the ‘benami’ flats (the flats held in the name of a proxy buyer) in the scam-tainted Adarsh Society here were purchased under the quotas for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and ‘weaker sections of the society’, the CBI has said in its supplementary chargesheet. [caption id=“attachment_1316751” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Adarsh Housing Society. AFP[/caption] “In as many as 22 cases…flats are allotted to benami-dars under the SC/ST quota,” said the chargesheet, filed yesterday before the Special CBI Judge SC Dighe here. The accused, including the late congress leader Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, RC Thakur and Major General (retd) TK Kaul, all of whom were not eligible to get the flats under the quotas, propped up close associates as the proxy buyers, it said. “They made such persons apply for membership in Adarsh and financed them to buy flats in their names by the means of cheating and deception…,” the CBI has said. Meanwhile, according to the chargesheet, Abhay and Anand Sancheti, who hold nine benami flats, were roped in by Thakur who assured them about membership, and subsequently Sanchetis paid Rs three crore to the Adarsh Society. The supplementary chargesheet names 23 financiers, including the Sancheti Group and 22 co-conspirators including members of the housing society. The agency was looking into the nexus and quid pro quo angles in 33 benami properties out of the 103 flats. This aspect was probed under the Benami Transactions Prohibition Act. Earlier, the judicial commission appointed by the Maharashtra government had said that 22 of the flats were held in the benami way. Though the agency did not name former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan as holding any benami property, the sources said that the other 81 members who are yet to be probed include Chavan’s relatives. “Hence it is not a virtual clean chit to him,” said a CBI source. Chavan’s mother-in-law Bhagvati Sharma, sister-in-law Seema Sharma and father-in-law’s brother Madanlal Sharma have flats in the society. The judicial commission had held that all three were ineligible to buy a flat in the society. The 13 accused named in the first chargesheet of CBI, which includes Ashok Chavan, have been charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct under the Indian Penal Code, besides the Prevention of Corruption Act. However, CBI has now moved the Bombay High Court saying that Chavan’s name be dropped as Maharashtra Governor has not given sanction for his prosecution. PTI