MUMBAI: The interim report of the State-appointed commission to probe the Adarsh scam presented in the Maharashtra Assembly has concluded that the land on which the controversial building was built belongs to the State. “The claim of Maharashtra government stands established in view of the provisions of Section 294 of Maharashtra Land Revenue code 1966,” the report said. As per this code, any unoccupied land belongs to the State government.
The 100-page report, authored by Justice (retd) J A Patil and former chief secretary P Subrahmanyam, runs contrary to the observations by the Bombay HC, due to the cleverly worded points of reference that was drafted by the State government for the commission to probe.
A point of reference for the commission to find out was whether the land was for Kargil martyrs, though there was no claim by any of the persons involved in exposing the scam that the land was reserved for them. Instead, it was said that the promoters had sought permissions and approvals on the ground that the beneficiaries of the plots were families of martyrs, including those from Kargil. “The state... deliberately gave the terms of reference in such a way that the answers would come this way. No one said the land was reserved for Kargil martyrs. The land in question was the State’s but it was under Army’s possession and clandestinely taken over. In the terms of reference to find out if the land belonged to the State or the Army, the government has tried to ensure that the people involved get a clean chit,” said Y P Singh, former IPS officer.