Adarsh scam: CBI gives clean chit to Jayant Patil

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday gave a clean chit to Maharashtra's rural development minister Jayant Patil in the Adarsh Housing Society scam.

The agency stated this in an affidavit submitted before the Bombay high court, in reply to an application made by social activist Pravin Wategaonkar seeking a CBI investigation against Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Jayant Patil for allegedly owning 'benami' flats in Adarsh building in south Mumbai.

The CBI had earlier filed an affidavit giving a clean chit to Shinde, stating that it has no evidence to suggest that the Central minister abused his position to secure membership of the controversial society for his kin.

Wategaonkar later filed an additional affidavit to his application along with documents supporting allegations against Shinde and Patil.

The CBI, in its additional affidavit handed over to the petitioner today, said that it conducted investigations and found nothing against both Shinde and Patil.

"No evidence against Sushil Kumar Shinde and Jayant Patil was sufficient to prove them guilty, hence they have not been arraigned as accused," the affidavit filed by K Babu, additional superintendent of police, CBI, said.

The affidavit also added that no new facts or additional information and documents relied upon by Wategaonkar discloses or alters the view of the agency in respect of Shinde and Patil, due to insufficient evidence.

Patil, whose nephew Aditya owns a flat in the society, was finance minister of Maharashtra from October 1999 to December 2008 when the state government had allotted land to Adarsh society.

While deposing before the inquiry commission set up to probe the scam, Patil dissociated himself from having played any role in his nephew becoming a member of the society, and that he had showed any favour or concession to the Adarsh building.

The agency in its affidavit added that investigation with regard to 'benami' transactions of all the 103 members is still in progress and was at a vital stage.

Image: Maharashtra Minister Jayant Patil

Photograph: Sahil Salve