Bombay High Court Rejects Governor’s Sanction To Prosecute Ashok Chavan In Adarsh Scam

The Bombay High Court on Friday set aside the governor’s sanction to prosecute former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing society scam.

The court said in its judgement that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had failed in presenting fresh evidence against Chavan while seeking sanction from the governor to prosecute him.

"The sanctioning authority is an independent body that can't allow itself to be influenced by anyone's opinion," the court observed.

In 2016, Governor C Vidyasagar Rao had granted the sanction for the prosecution of the Congress leader. Chavan, who had to step down from his post on 9 November 2010 over the scam, had challenged the sanction in the High Court.

Welcoming the verdict, Chavan said, “Truth has prevailed. It was a politically motivated and completely uncalled for order from the governor's office."

The CBI has accused Chavan of approving additional floor space index (FSI) for the Adarsh society in return for two flats for his relatives. The probe agency also accused him of illegal allotment of flats.

This is the second time in two days that Congress found a reason to celebrate. On Thursday, a special CBI court acquitted all the accused in the 2G spectrum scam on the grounds that the prosecution had “miserably failed in proving charges”.

Chavan is currently the president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. (PTI)