Adarsh scam: Maharashtra Info Comm Ramanand Tiwari suspended

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan today suspended a defiant state Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari who had refused to abide by the government's order to quit for his alleged involvement in Adarsh Housing scam.

"The Governor has suspended Tiwari with immediate effect, using powers under Section 17.2 of the RTI Act," a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said.

The development comes two days after the Governor had made a reference to the Supreme Court for removal of the former bureaucrat.

Another retired IAS officer Subhash Lalla resigned as member of the State Human Rights Commission earlier this month against the backdrop of his alleged involvement in the scam.

However, Tiwari continued to defy the government, saying he will not quit as Information Commissioner and will challenge the state cabinet's recommendation to the Governor to suspend him.

On Sunday, after a 10-minute meeting with Sankaranarayanan at Raj Bhavan, Tiwari had said he would not quit but will challenge the suspension process.

Alleging `misconduct' by Tiwari in the Adarsh scam, the state cabinet had on January 11 recommended his suspension to the Governor.

The government had asked Tiwari to quit the post on moral grounds but he rejected the suggestion and instead applied for a three-month leave, which was turned down by the Governor.