Spirited Crusader Unfolds Adarsh Scam's Ugly Underbelly

Although it might appear implausible now, a Thane-based placement consultant had almost a year ago made contentions similar to those contained in the judicial panel report on the multi-crore Adarsh housing scam.

And the man credited with widening the scope of the investigation in the sensational case is Thane resident Pravin Wategaonkar.

A placement consultant, he was an average Indian with simple aspirations and goals.

However, the Adarsh scam changed all that. “I felt angry. There have been several other scams such as 2G and CWG, which shook public confidence in politicians and their governance, but Adarsh was the trigger for me,” says Wategaonkar,42.

Prior to his intervention, the charges in the mega scam were limited to grabbing of government land by politicians and bureaucrats and constructing a building for their gains.

Thanks to Wategaonkar’s PIL, the scope was widened to include the Money Laundering Act and getting the I-T Department to pursue cases against the accused for not declaring the money paid to the Adarsh society in their tax returns.

An MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Wategaonkar had no background or contacts whatsoever in the field of law. However, armed with a steely resolve he decided to set foot inside a High Court room for the first time in a high profile case to argue in person.   “I am not a lawyer. All I did was to carry out some research on the Adarsh scam and hence had a clear idea as to what sort of submission should be made before the court,” he says.

His courage and never-say-die spirit were rewarded as the first breakthrough came in the first hearing itself. And his PIL was listed at number 16 at the June 201l hearing whereas the cases related to Adarsh were listed at eight.

Wategaonkar, though, was in a dilemma as to whether to bring it to the notice of the court or quietly wait for his turn. He tried in vain to seek advice from a lawyer seated next to him.

Adjournment was being sought in the other cases related to Adarsh and just when the judges were about to wind up with the case on that particular hearing, Wategaonkar raised his hand and sought the court’s permission to speak.

He brought to the notice of the court that his PIL was connected with the Adarsh cases which were being heard.

The court wanted to know what his prayers were. “Invoking the Money Laundering Act in the Adarsh case,” he submitted.