Bombay High Court to hear plea on making ex-Maharashtra CM Shivajirao Patil-Nilangekar accused in Adarsh scam

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court will on May 6 hear a petition seeking direction to CBI to include former Maharashtra Chief Minister Shivajirao Patil-Nilangekar as an accused in the Adarsh housing society scam.

Social activist Pravin Wategaonkar today filed a petition in the high court alleging that Patil, during his tenure as Revenue Minister, granted certain approvals to the Adarsh society illegally.

In return, Patil's son-in-law Arun Dawle was allotted a flat in the plush high-rise in south Mumbai, Wategaonkar claimed in his petition.

The activist approached the high court after the sessions court rejected his application filed there.

Wategaonkar relied on an application of CBI in the lower court, seeking the custody of former MLA and Adarsh promoter Kanhaiyalal Gidwani when he was arrested.

"CBI in its remand application said Gidwani had opened an account in Kallappanna Awade Ichalkaranji Janata Sahakari Bank in Sangli under a proxy name, in which huge amounts of cash were deposited by him from time to time. Most of the amount deposited was then transferred to the accounts of his wife, sons and daughters-in-law and also to the account of M/s Jai Maharashtra in which his sons are directors," the application alleged.

"The said amounts were used for making payments towards the benami flats booked in Adarsh. Arun Dawle, son-in-law of Patil-Nilangekar, received at least Rs 17.60 lakh from the Jai Maharashtra account. Nilangekar misused his official position and showed undue favours to the society. In return, Dawle was alloted flat in the Society," Wategaonkar alleged.

Wategaonkar mentioned his petition before a division bench headed by Justice R V More today, which posted it for hearing on May 6.