2 years on, Adarsh commission may submit final report this week

MUMBAI: Two years after Maharashtra government set up a two-member commission to inquire into the Adarsh Housing Society scam, the final report is likely to be submitted this week.

The commission headed by retired High Court judge Justice J A Patil was formed in January 2011, three months after the scam came to light.

Its mandate was to look into several aspects including ownership of the land in south Mumbai where the 31-storey building stands, whether it was reserved for families of Kargil war heroes and whether rules were flouted while granting permission for the construction.

The commission, last year, submitted an interim report which said the land belonged to the state government and not the Defence Ministry, nor was it reserved for war widows.

"The final report is likely to be submitted this week. The commission has not been given any deadline by the government. Efforts are on to complete the report and submit it this week," an official from the commission said.

If the report comes this week, it could be tabled before the state legislature, which is in session till April 18.

The final report is expected to comment on the alleged roles of former Chief Ministers Ashok Chavan and the late Vilasrao Deshmukh and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in giving concessions to the Society.

All the three deposed before the commission; but only Chavan has been named as an accused (with 12 others) by CBI in its FIR.

Around 182 witnesses were examined by the commission.