Adarsh scam: Maha govt seeks interim report from inquiry panel

A year after an inquiry commission was set up to probe the scam-tainted Adarsh Housing Society, the Maharashtra government has sought an interim report from the panel. The state government has filed an application before the two-member inquiry commission, seeking an interim report on two of the 13 issues being looked into by the judicial panel.

The two issues include ownership of the land in south Mumbai, on which the 31-storey Adarsh building stands and secondly, whether the land was reserved to house the Kargil war widows and their relatives. The commission, headed by retired Justice J A Patil, will hear the application on February 24.

The commission was set up by the government in January last year, soon after the scam had come to light. While the panel was to complete its probe within three months, its term has been extended from time to time. The panel now has to submit its report by May 2012. "The terms and conditions, under which, the commission was set up, authorises the government to seek an interim report on its findings," the application states.

It further states that since the commission has examined 36 witnesses so far, it must have come to a conclusion regarding the title of the land and whether it was reserved for any particular class.

"The next session for the Legislative Assembly is in March 2012. It would be in the best interest of justice, if the Commission could file an interim report by then," the government's application states.

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