Adarsh scam: Bail plea of seven accused rejected

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court here Wednesday rejected the bail applications of seven people arrested last month in connection with the Adarsh Housing Society scam, officials said. Two other accused were remanded to the probe agency’s custody till April 12.

“Special CBI judge M.V. Kulkarni rejected the bail application of all seven accused in the case,” defence counsel Saket Mone told IANS.

Last month, the CBI had arrested seven people in the case – Maj. Gen. (retd) A.R. Kumar, Maj. Gen. (retd) T.K. Kaul, IAS officer Pradeep Vyas, former Congress legislator Kanahiyalal Gidwani, retired defence estates officer R.C. Thakur, Brig.(retd) M.M. Wanchoo and former deputy secretary (Urban Development) P.V. Deshmukh. They are in judicial custody till April 17.

The CBI Tuesday arrested former municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak and retired information commissioner Ramanand Tiwari in connection with the scam.

Phatak and Tiwari were Wednesday remanded to CBI custody till April 12.

Phatak was the municipal commissioner of Mumbai in 2010 when the height of the society’s building was allowed to be increased beyond 100 metres but without approval from the high-rise committee of the civic agency body. Phatak’s son has been allotted a flat in the society.

Tiwari’s son has also been allotted a flat in the building.

The CBI’s action last month had come after a Bombay High Court division bench of Justices P.B. Majmudar and R.D. Dhanuka questioned the agency for delaying the arrests in the case.

The court had on March 12 rapped the CBI for not initiating action against government officials involved in the scam.

The division bench had on Feb 28 also castigated the Enforcement Directorate for “serious lapse” in failing to initiate investigations against some Adarsh society members allegedly involved in money-laundering.