Veterans lead in the anti- corruption crusade

Anna Hazare, VK Singh want Parliament dissolved
Published: Tuesday, Oct 30, 2012, 4:06 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
The country is set to witness another round of yatras by social activist Anna Hazare and his team from January 30, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Until then, Anna will scout for people willing to join his team to trudge across the nation to help people select “right political candidates” for the 2014 general elections.
Anna and former army chief General VK Singh, who were in the city on Monday, addressed the media. “We will tell people to select political candidates on the basis of character, capacity and desire to serve people,” said Anna.
The two criticised the government and sought its dismissal “for not working for the people”. They charged the government of not protecting the people, not working for their welfare and being influenced by market-driven policies.
“We want the government to be dissolved as it is only slapping its neo-liberal policies on the people. While the preamble of the Constitution says that it is ‘by the people’, the people are not heard,” said Singh.
“The gap between the rich and poor is increasing as politicians are serving themselves and not the country,” said Hazare who advocated “pursuing of black money instead of taking loans from banks to better the economy”.
Anna also slammed the central investigation agency, the CBI, and reiterated the need for stronger laws while demanding judicial inquiry in recent allegations against BJP national president Nitin Gadkari. “People earn money for seven generations and go to jail for a few months. We need stronger laws to deter people,” he said.
As for his former associate, Arvind Kejriwal, Anna said that they had same goal but the means were different.
Speaking of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Anna said if Modi was against corruption, he should have introduced the Lok Ayukta in his state.
Anna Hazare, VK Singh want Parliament dissolved
Comment: Many retired Generals become arm chair Military advisers or remain silent spectators when the nation is truly becoming a banana republic. Will Generals lead the citizens and farmers to true democracy or enjoy the cosy comfort of their homes by spinning more money?

Adarsh Housing scam: Will the truth ever come out?

Tuesday 23 October 2012
News updated at 3:51 PM IST by Prabhat Sharan
A thick jungle of intertwined vines with only blinking fire-flies casting light on facts is what now makes up the Adarsh Housing Society scandal -- which made sensational headlines last year for the alleged involvement of Army top brass, politicians and bureaucrats, but quietly faded into the background since. While other high-profile scams like 2G spectrum, cash-for-vote and illegal mining continue to be in the news with several ‘dignitaries’ scurrying between jail and bail, the Adarsh scam has almost been banished from public memory, as investigators struggle to wade through the thick foliage of information and arrive at appropriate conclusions.
It is through this forest where vines of corruption and chicanery are indistinguishably twined into a Gordian knot, the two-member judicial commission is trying to hack its way slowly picking up clues, which later turn up as red herrings.
Unlike other commissions set up elsewhere in country as well as in Maharashtra earlier, Justice (retd) J A Patil and former state chief secretary P Subramanian, the two-member commission set up last year to look into the Adarsh Housing scam, has no simple task before it; the commission has to sift out truth and elusive facts from various agencies, bodies and groups of interests to come to a conclusion.
The involvement of multifarious agencies all inextricably linked with each other coupled with political personalities from ruling party juggling with facts has made any kind of breakthrough into establishing even the primary ownership of the contentious land ‘deed,’ a Herculean task.
Last week Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was forced to admit that the progress into the Adarsh Housing scam “is extremely slow and there are no two opinions about it.”
And the result of the slow progress is that the commission which has already received two extensions since it’s inception has been forced to postpone the submission of its interim report. The interim report was expected this month but it came as no surprise when the news trickled out that it would be delayed.
The depth of involvement and the reach of the politician-builder-bureaucratic trinity in the scam which has innumerable questions buried in its past has managed to widen the chasm between the truth and justice. There are hardly any doubts regarding the veracity of the belief that violations had taken place through deceit; but the establishing of these facts, pointing to the manipulation of various governmental institutions by the powers be, is a different matter altogether. For this, the commission is wading through 379 files containing 1.50 lakh documents. There are over 100 affidavits filed by different persons, besides there is also the problem of ‘disappearance’ of several relevant and important documents.
No guiding light
Till date with varied and contradictory statements gleaned from officials and people summoned, the commission is yet to decide as to the identity of the ownership of the plot even though it is not supposed to outside its scope. But since CBI is also expected now to report to the quasi-judicial body, the investigation results have so far not provided any guiding light to the committee.
The Army, soon after the scam broke proclaimed that the land belonged to the defence, but later could only come up with maps dating back to 1950s and were unable to furnish any latest proofs to their claim. The state government on its part came up with another set of documents showing that it had taken the Colaba plot on which Adarsh building was erected from the Army by giving the latter a plot located in Malad-Kandivli belt in far-flung north-western suburbs.
To compound the matter worse, the initial allegation that ignited the scam of the land being reserved for Kargil war martyrs widow continues to be in limbo and so do other allegations flying around: reservation of flats; allotment of extra floor space index (FSI); widening of Prakash Pethe Road; reservation of the BEST (civic) plot; violation of coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms and the role of bureaucrats in the manipulation of records and allotment of flats in the controversial 31-storey Adarsh building.
The presence of in-fighting and political rivalry continues to throw up sensational facts with an alarming regularity; but the headlines grabbing facts except adding to the confused state of affairs till date has contributed nothing to the investigations that could lead to the booking of the guilty parties.
The ruling Congress-led Democratic Front alliance government after instituting a CBI inquiry into the matter conveniently allowed the setting up of a judicial commission with quasi-judicial powers. Higher-ups in bureaucratic echelons while accepting that in the final lap the commission may manage to come out with the truth of the matter; but it would be a long, long run.
Till then the ruling DF, political personages, bureaucrats, relatives of people in power and retired high-ranking defence officials can take respite in the fact that the truth buried in the murky inception of the Adarsh Housing Society will continue to erupt as questions and nothing more.
History of all commissions be it the Lentin Commission, Srikrishna Commission, Liberhan Commission or any other quasi-judicial commission is that they take ample time to ascertain and establish the guilt of the parties concerned. And Adarsh Housing Commission will also have to trudge the same long winding path. Till the commission reaches to a conclusion, neither the Opposition political parties nor any civil rights groups can point a finger at the ruling political alliance for not taking action.
Adarsh Housing scam: Will the truth ever come out?

Tatra scam: Will the former Chief's be linked?

CBI books Tejinder Singh for bribe offer to ex-Army chief
Neeraj Chauhan, TNN | Oct 21, 2012, 03.23AM ISTNEW DELHI: After six months of elaborate investigation, the CBI on Saturday filed a case against Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs 14 crore to former Army chief General VK Singh to clear the purchase of 1,676 high-mobility Tatra trucks for the Indian Army.
The agency carried raids at seven places in Delhi, Mumbai and Noida on the premises of Vectra Group chairman Ravi Rishi and Tejinder Singh's residence at Safdarjung Enclave here, and recovered Rs 98 lakh in cash and also questioned the retired Lt Gen.
Sources say that Tejinder Singh even had links with alleged arms-dealer Abhishek Verma, which is being probed.
Although there was a two-year lag between when the ex-Army chief reported the alleged bribe offer to defence minister AK Antony and CBI registering a Preliminary Enquiry (PE), the agency has decided to launch a formal investigation since the evidence seemed to corroborate Gen VK Singh's version of what transpired between the two.
CBI is conducting a parallel inquiry into the complaint regarding the monopoly Tatra has enjoyed for two decades in supplying all-terrain trucks to defence forces. Sources said the charge sheet in the case is in final stages, and could be filed in a Delhi court shortly. The agency is expected to charge officials of Tatra and the public sector, Bharat Earth Movers Limited.
Sources in the CBI said that preliminary investigation has established retired Tejinder Singh's meeting with the then Army chief as well as that the latter was unhappy with what had transpired. During its probe, CBI has established that cause of action of Tejinder Singh's visit to General VK Singh on September 22, 2010, was because "the file related to procurement of Tatra trucks was lying on the table of army chief that day" and that "Tejinder Singh offered bribe on behalf of Ravi Rishi as he is closely associated with the latter".
Antony's confirmation of General VK Singh's "oral complaint" was found to be strong corroborative evidence.
But strengthened the case for a formal investigation was evidence of Tejinder Singh's alleged dealings with lobbyists for arms manufacturers, including a Korean company. Tejinder Singh has been booked under section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. Under Section 12 of the PC Act, a person who abets the offence of making a public servant accept illegal gratification, whether or not that offence is committed in consequence of that abetment, can be punished with the minimum punishment of six months which may extend to five years.
"We have evidence of his links with a shadowy set of former defence officers who were on the payroll of arms manufacturers and suppliers", said a senior CBI source.
CBI books Tejinder Singh for bribe offer to ex-Army chief

Tatra Scam: Will Tejinder Singh influence the Law Ministry?

CBI to file chargesheet against Rishi
Neeraj Chauhan, TNN Oct 5, 2012, 03.40AM IST
NEW DELHI: The CBI will file a chargesheet against Ravi Rishi and others in the Tatra scam and finalize the enquiry into the alleged bribe offer to former Army chief General V K Singh within few weeks.
According to sources, investigation into the Tatra scam is over and the agency is awaiting the reply of the legal department on a recent presentation given by former BEML chief V R S Natarajan, who had claimed that it was a licence agreement and not transfer of technology.
About the alleged bribery offer to V K Singh by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh, CBI sources said they were taking legal opinion on the evidence collected to establish a link between Tejinder and Ravi Rishi. "We will decide whether to convert the preliminary enquiry into a regular case or not very soon," said an official. Officials said they would file a charge sheet without replies from Czech Republic and Slovakia.
CBI to file chargesheet against Rishi
Comment: Will the 3 scamsters and Conmen- Rishi, Tejinder and Natarajan be ever convicted? This is likely to take the Bofors route of intrigue- the no conviction route!

Adarsh Scam: Judicial Commission being bombed by lies!

Had no idea of kin having flats in Adarsh: Chavan
Thursday, October, 04 2012 - 17:35
MUMBAI:Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, whose three relatives got flats in Adarsh, today claimed before the judicial commission probing the scam he came to know of their membership in the housing society only after the news of alleged irregularities was broken by the media.
"It was at the end of October 2010 that I came to know that some of my relatives had applied for membership in Adarsh society and the same was granted to them," he told the two-member inquiry commission led by Justice (retd) J A Patil set up by the Maharashtra government to probe the Adarsh scam.
Chavan's mother-in-law Bhagvati Sharma, his father-in- law's brother Madanlal Sharma and his sister-in-law Seema Sharma had flats in the building.
Chavan, who had to step down as chief minister after it emerged that his relatives had flats in the scam-tainted housing society, appeared before the commission today for the second time.
He had earlier deposed before the commission in June to answer allegations against him of bestowing undue favours while granting permission for construction of 31-storey Adarsh building in high-end Colaba in south Mumbai.
Replying to questions put forth by commission's counsel Dipan Merchant, Chavan said he was not aware that his relatives had applied for membership in the Adarsh society.
In his brief appearance that lasted barely 10 minutes, Chavan said he was also not aware if Seema Sharma's application for membership of the society was rejected in 2004 but approved in 2008 when he was the chief minister.
He said soon after he came to know of the membership of his relatives "at the end of October 2010", they relinquished it on October 29 the same year.
Had no idea of kin having flats in Adarsh: Chavan

Adarsh Scam: Gen NC Vij did not apply his mind

Ref:‘I did not apply my mind to question whether Adarsh was security threat’
Former Army Chief General (retd.) N.C Vij, says he was not aware of a parliamentary query about land ownership
COMMENTS:

Dear Gen. Vij; This is not expected of a retd. army chief. Army chief not being informed about the parliamentary questions and applying for the membership of the same society after retirement. It is not done, Sir.
from: Krishnan Posted on: Aug 23, 2012 at 05:20 IST

Sad that an ex- army chief can give such evasive answers that reeks of malafide intentions. Despite visiting the 28 floor of the building where he had been allotted a flat, if he did not think of Adarsh as a security threat to the military installations surrounding the area, then he should not have been in the position of military chief. Any layman - not necessarily with a military background, knows that a civilian construction offering a birds-eye view of military installations is a security threat. And he says " people occupying the building need to be scrutinised from security angle and whether the persons occupying the building are trustworthy and dependable". How in the world is that possible in a civilian premises? Can he please offer an answer?
from: V.J. Nambiar Posted on: Aug 23, 2012 at 07:38 IST

Firstly, while unequivocally accepting the unimpeachable personal integrity of the former chief of army staff and former vice chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, the simple legal stand in most cases of land ownership and issue of encumberance certificate that precedes transfer of title to property presupposes that ignorance of a possible fraud, forgery, foul play or manipulation committed cannot stand in the way of title and access to disputed property being restored to the legal owner / lessee. Ignorance of law and absence of malice could only perhaps somewhat mitigate the legal exposure of the victims but cannot stand in the way of title of ownership from being restored to the rightful owner. Hence all those who had invested in or been awarded membership will stand to lose title to the disputed property if it is proven that the Society had no legal title to begin with or if the legal title had been obtained in violation of rules and regulations in force.
from: R.N. Iyengar Posted on: Aug 23, 2012 at 08:29 IST

Newton's Law of Corruption in India

Nitin Gupta (Rivaldo) is a stand-up comedian & is an alumnus of IIT Bombay (Chemical Engg) and founder of Entertainment Engineers.
Here he is seen performing for the students at the S.P. Jain College and the subject is the CWG, 2G and other scams - the Archimedes Principle and Newton laws are a brilliant take why nobody gets caught in the scams in India – this can be explained by the Archimedes Principle for corruption "Any minister fully or partially immersed in corruption is pushed up by a buoyant force which is equal to the weight of the money displaced by him in the scams".
Laws of corruption should be passed – similar to Newton laws of motion

Black money at rest will remain at rest, scams in motion will remain in motion, until unless an external force like the Jan Lokpal Bill is applied to them by people outside the parliament...
See and enjoy the hilarious video for more - unfortunately its not a laughing matter, it is the current state of affairs in India.
click here for more funny comments

Senior Military Officers caught in Money Spinning Spree

Army Maj Gen in the dock in electronic warfare equipment scam
[ Updated 30 Aug 2012, 14:09:27 ]
New Delhi, Aug 30: Major irregularities and siphoning off of funds have come to light in the purchase of electronic warfare equipment worth Rs 80 crore for the crucial Northern Command that covers Kashmir.
A Major General of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME) is in the dock in the Court of Inquiry, presided over by a Lieutenant General.
The Major General was attached to the Udhampur-based Northern Command earlier this month. The senior ranking officer has been divested of all operational responsibilities pending completion of the Court of Inquiry.
A newspaper report quoting sources said, the deal for electronic warfare and other sensitive equipment was signed last year and the Army carried out a preliminary probe when allegations of misappropriation by way of submitting fake bills came to light some months later.
Finding substance in the allegations, the Army then ordered a formal Court of Inquiry in May this year against a Colonel.
He, however, denied the allegations and pointed fingers at his Major General, who was the Master General (overall chief) of the Northern Command EME.
Officials said the officers were not able to explain expenditure of nearly Rs 30 crore out of the Rs 80 crore deal.
Sensing the seriousness of the charges, the Army ordered another Court of Inquiry after allegations surfaced against the Major General.
The latest scam involving senior officers comes in the backdrop of cases like Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai, Sukna land scam and allotment of defence land to builders in Pune. All these cases involved officers of the rank of Lt Generals.
A former Military Secretary was also divested of his rank in the Sukna land scam.
Besides these high profile cases, two Lieutenant Generals, now retired, were prima facie found guilty of misappropriation of funds in procurement of rations including dal and mutton for troops.
Army Maj Gen in the dock in electronic warfare equipment scam
Comment: EW equipment purchase scandal by EME seems to be a new avenue for kickbacks as the equipment is shrouded in secrecy... Thank heavens there are no imminent war threats... Our Corrupt senior officers and bureaucrats will ensure defeat even before combat commences!

Rank Pay: Will the MOD in conjunction with UOI throw more spanners?

LATEST UPDATE
IV Pay Commission Rank Pay Anomaly Case
In the case of Maj AK Dhanapalan Vs Union of India in OP 2448/96, The Hon’ble High Court of Kerela allowed the plea of the officer and held that the deduction of the rank pay was not correct and directed to re fix the basic pay of the officer from 1.1.1986. Appeal filed by the Union of India before the larger bench of the High Court & SLP in the Hon’ble Supreme Court against the judgment was dismissed. Although Govt sanction to pay arrears to Maj AK Dhanapalan were issued, the benefit was not extended to similarly placed officers of the three Services.
Similar cases were filed by a large number of officers in various courts throughout the country. The Supreme Court of India directed that such of the cases be transferred to the apex court. Retired Defence Officers Association (RDOA) has been able to transfer one of the ‘lead cases’ from Kerela to the Supreme Court.
AS ON 04 SEPT 2012
The IV CPC Rank Pay Case was finally heard today ie 04 Sept 2012, in Court no 7, in the court of Hon’ble Justices RM Lodha, TS Thakur and Anil S Dave. The appeal file by UOI for recall of order of the Hon’ble Court dated 08 March 2010 was dismissed by the Court. The court upheld its order of 08 Mar 2010. The Solicitor General spent marathon four hrs to convince the court about the legitimate deduction of the rank pay but was not able to justify the deduction of rank pay and as to fitment of pay of AF officer vis a vis a civilian offr drawing same basic pay as on 1/1/1986.
The said order will be applicable to all affected offrs of the AF wef 01/01/1986 to 01/01/2006 across board. It would also be applicable to all pending cases in various courts and AFT’s across the country on the subject case.
The interest will be applicable @ 6% wef 01/01/2006 and not 1986. This is the only change made by the court. The court has also directed that all arrears should be paid within outer limit of 3 months from today ie 04 Sept 2012.
So, the pay and pension of all affected officers of the AF are set to revise from 01/01/1986.
RDOA Blogspot
SPANNERS PROPOSED BY UOI through Solicitor General as on 11 Jan 2012
The UOI has suggested a big 'spanner' to cause delay in the IV CPC rank pay case. In its affidivit filed the UOI says that the Central Govt is open and willing to constitute an independent commission headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court to examine the correctness of the implementation of the recommendations by IV CPC related to rank pay as given in para 28.113 of its report and to make recommendations for further improvements to the proceedure for disbursement of pension to retired Armed forces personnel based on Govt orders subsequent to VI CPC recommendations THIS IS PURE HOGWASH AND ONLY TO DELAY MATTERS. RDOA IS NOT GOING TO BUY THIS LINE OF ACTION. Further it says: Apart from the enormous financial implications, actual implementation of the Hon'ble Court's order would involve the following stages;

Revision of pay of offrs on 1/1/1986, 1/1/1996, and 1/1/2006 with simultaneous revision of all pay linked allowances/benefits.

Calculation of DA on slab basis from 1/1/1986 to 31/12/1995 is time consuming

Revision of retirement benefits (gratuity, leave encashment)of offrs retiring after 1/1/1986

Revision of pension on 1/1/1986, 1/1/1996, 1/1/2006.

Revision of family pension based on revision of pension of offr

Payments to be made to legal heirs of deceased offrs

Interest @ 6 % per annum for upto 24 yrs in each case will have to be calculated and paid. This would be a protracted exercise taking a lot of time and involving huge manpower as each case will have to be examined/ calculated individually.
RDOA comment. UOI is responsible for this faux pas and should do the needful and pay the offrs their legitimate dues. The Court should raise the penalty to 18% for causing unnecessary delays in implementing court orders.

Disconnect between GOI and Armed forces grows

Disconnect between GOI and Armed forces grows – Rank Pay Shows
By IDU Analysis on September 5, 2012
No body listens to the Armed Forces in any matter is a truth. The Armed Forces have been blamed for the messed up wars and operations in 1962, 1965 and Op Pawan but no blame as in the Henderson Brooks or K Subrahmanyam or any other report goes to any bureaucrats’ or politicians’ scalp. And we want to be a Super Power but have become the No 1 Defence Importer in the world because we are a ‘Rich Nation With Fine Poor People’ and the Armed Forces are the fine poor in more sense than one.
The Armed Forces have finally won a victory of sorts on 4th Sept by going to court and there are lessons to be learnt. The Supreme Court three Judge Bench courageously decided not to interfere in its earlier decision granting the cumulative benefits and arrears of Rank Pay with effect from 01-01-1986 to all affected officers. However, the 6% interest component has been admissible on arrears from 01-01-2006 rather than 01-01-1986, because the Government cried ‘foul’ it has no money, which is true for the Armed Forces. Lets hope Chidambaram does not do some retrospective change.
Sadly the case remained pending for years and was finally argued in marathon four hour arguments by the Solicitor General Nariman Jr who had said he had a solid case appearing for the GOI on technical grounds. The SC , decided that there was no infirmity in the order passed on 08 March 2010 which the previous SC had lost but MOD appealed. The welfare of the Armed Forces is a less looked after subject with an IAS secretary warming the chair looking for loop holes only he can plug.
And today news comes Shekhar Agrawal, an IIT product Secretary, Defence Production, Ministry of Defense, Government of India will be looking after additional charge of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare for three months. He has been screwing up private sector attempts to let Private sector defence companies enter production and has been naturally protecting PSUs. Lets see what is in store as he has his hands full in Defence Production. Welfare can wait.
All this shows there is disconnect between the MOD which should have agreed and fought for Rank Pay when the SC verdict came but it is learnt that that the Services HQ were in favour of getting the verdict implemented, The three services on the basis of a decision taken officially and categorically informed the Solicitor General in writing that the Armed Forces were not in favour of the matter being contested against the affected officers and in fact were in favour of getting the verdict of the SC dated 08 March 2010 implemented. But who listens.
Thereafter, the MOD wrote to the Services HQ asking them to withdraw the communication to the Solicitor General, however to the credit of the Services, the said communication was ultimately not withdrawn. Besides showing utter disregard for the opinion of the services in this matter, this incident also shows as to how the MoD tries to browbeat the services into accepting its views and huge nerve centre connects with UPA Chairperson the PMO drives many of these issues. Unfortunately elements of the JAG Branch also toe the line of the MoD rather than the Services for greener pastures.
This shows the dangers of the workings of the Indian government and political parties and shows the insides of national security too that straddles the philosophical divide between India’s Armed Forces and the leadership and extends to India’s foreign and military policy and hijacks the ability of the military ability to deliver. And as the picture shows China leaps ahead with economy , women power, military and nuclear muscle and intelligence which was what the out going Chinese Defence Minister came to gather with 23 others.
Another debility in India is that which ever Indian government has come to power, it has shown a quest to dominate the military by any means fair or foul and has evaded the appointment of a CDS despite Arun Singh, K Subrahmanyam and now Naresh Chandra committee having recommended. They were no fools.
It is only after examining the factors of corruption in purchases like Bofors, HDW submarines, Tehelka and now the cancelled contracts and the war Room leak case connected with absconding Lt Cdr Shakaran and Abhishek Verma that one realizes how Armed Forces are the losers while bureaucrats politicians get away. The names are known but cash leads abroad are not easy to trace.There have also been failures in wars of 1962, 1965 and Op Pawan , that one can point to ill conceived motives and failures of India’s foreign and military policy. The Armed Forces are kept at arm’s length from decision making or foreign policy and offered sops like posts of Governor or Ambassador to Naval Chiefs as one hears the post will now go to the retired Naval Chief for good work done.
Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat tried to challenge the system and took on the Deference (Sic) Minister Fernandes and Defence Secretary and DRDO Dr Kalam and asked for an audit of the ATV INS Arihant project where he was a spectator member. He got sacked under Art 311 with out rank or pay as powers rest with the Defence Minister to dismiss any inconvenient officer under Art 311 though Justice Shah when introducing the article in the Constitution asked for ‘application of mind’. More recently Gen VK Singh tried to take on the Government but failed and its said he is safe as he holds many interesting conversations his special unit tapped in to, and his daughter is an Army wife and an in house lawyer. Bhagwat was simple sailor and lives down Colaba.
With this SC Rank Case ruling and many scams the question before Indians today and the Armed Forces and educated citizens is how can we have faith that their government will steer well and honestly and keep them safe. India wants to rise but has a charted a strategy for India where bureaucrats in MOD apply yard sticks to keep the Armed Forces subservient. How clueless can Government be about scams under the Minister’s and PM’s nose which has the most intelligent officers in PMO looking after India’s Intelligence agencies which have mushroomed so no one finger can point at any one agency. This is a moot point for national intelligence too.
And brings in a relevant question is “Do our intelligence agencies deliver or in the cloak of secrecy get away unquestioned”? When one accidentally took over as Director of Naval Intelligence and consulted a British counterpart who dealt with MI-5 and MI-6 (One had to deal with IB and RAW and DOE only then), he said, “Intelligence is like a cow. You have to ‘milk it’ and learn how to milk a cow (Intelligence) first. She does not give milk by itself”. Nor does any intelligence agency as the act of withholding information, is rampant in India.
Today the Indian government presents a view of reactive Indian foreign and military and nuclear policy, as reported by the Atomic Scientists and Mail Today as the Indian military is not in the loop who are to ‘man the bombs’, even if never to be used. And clever people say its ambiguity as is CWG, 2G and now Coalaveri gate.
This luckily for India is in stark contrast to that depicted by corporate India where to most minds the private industry (not the coalgate and 2G and CWG gainers) is leading India’s rise on the world stage. For years the Indian military was supplied, stocked and supported by the erstwhile Soviet Union but with its fall, now Israel and the US have emerged as India’s suppliers, and till we become some what self sufficient where private industry has to join India will as its now said, “Muddle along well and react only when the chips are down, and the loyal Armed Forces will react after a few days and get their act together”.
But today it’s a day to celebrate our Supreme Court not our MOD or Defence Minister or our PM who promised us pay of our Rank from the ramparts of the .RED FORT on Independence Day when PM announced the Pay Commission of rank not band.. He also ordered a group of secretaries to give a report on OROP on 8th Aug …..but what is an order from one bureaucrat to another unless there is something in it for him or her. The report is still to come. Command and Control of India is in slumbers and Khamooshi (Silence) as PM put very eloquently before he went to Iran for NAM meet, to defend himself in Coalgate is the order of the day.
Disconnect between GOI and Armed forces grows – Rank Pay Shows

Rank Pay: Supreme Court Orders Payment

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
Rank Pay forms a part of basic pay, release arrears to affected officers : Supreme Court, today, 04 September 2012
Perhaps historically the most important litigation involving the military has culminated today.
A three judge Bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court today decided not to interfere with its earlier decision granting the cumulative benefits and arrears of Rank Pay with effect from 01-01-1986 to all affected officers. However, the interest component has been modified and interest @ 6% per annum would now be admissible on the arrears from 01-01-2006 rather than 01-01-1986.
All payments have been directed to be made within a period of 12 weeks from today and the benefits shall be released to all officers irrespective of whether they had approached a judicial forum or not.
As many would be aware, after the 4th Central Pay Commission (CPC), an integrated pay scale of Rs 2300-5100 was implemented for officers from the rank of 2/Lt to Brig. In addition, rank pay was authorised to officers from the rank of Capt to Brig ranging from Rs 200 to 1200 which was to be added into the basic pay for all intents and purposes.
However, while fixing the pay in the new scales, an amount equal to the rank pay was deducted from the emoluments resulting in financial loss to all affected officers. Hence all officers holding the rank of Capt to Brig as on 01-01-1986 suffered cumulative losses.
The Hon’ble Kerala High Court in a case filed by Maj AK Dhanapalan had termed illegal this deduction of rank pay. The SLP filed by the Union of India was also dismissed, albeit not on merits but on technical grounds of limitation.
Soon thereafter, many similar petitions were filed in various Hon’ble High Courts all over the country which were clubbed together and transferred to the Hon’ble Supreme Court to be heard alongwith an SLP of similar nature which had arisen out of a case that was allowed on the basis of the judgement in Dhanapalan’s case. The Hon’ble Supreme Court on 08 March 2010 upheld the said verdict and granted relief to all similarly placed officers alongwith an interest of 6%.
Things were however not to end there since the Govt constituted a committee to look into the amount involved and went back to the Hon’ble Supreme Court by filing an application for recall of the order dated 08 March 2010 on the grounds of burdening of the exchequer and also stating therein that many more issues on the subject were not taken into consideration by the Court and hence the order needed to be recalled.
The case thereafter remained pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court and was finally argued today when the Hon’ble Court, after hearing marathon arguments of the Solicitor General appearing for the govt, decided that there was no infirmity in the order passed on 08 March 2010. As informed above, only the modification in the grant of the interest component was effectuated.
The case was not without surprising developments which can now be shared since the issue no longer remains sub judice.
First was the total incorrect and skewed presentation of the status and pay of military officers vis-à-vis officers of the civil services projected in the affidavit appended with the recall application filed by the Union of India. The speciousness thereof has already been discussed by me on the blog in November 2011 and all those falsities were exposed in the affidavit filed on behalf of the affected officers before the Hon’ble Court.
Secondly, which can be disclosed now, is that when it was being projected by the Govt that the Services HQ were also in favour of getting the verdict recalled / reversed, the three services on the basis of a decision taken at the apex level, clearly, officially and categorically informed the Solicitor General in writing that the Armed Forces were not in favour of the matter being contested against the affected officers and in fact were in favour of getting the verdict of the SC dated 08 March 2010 implemented. Thereafter, the Ministry of Defence wrote to the Services HQ asking them to withdraw the communication to the Solicitor General, however to the credit of the Services, the said communication was ultimately not withdrawn. Besides showing utter disregard for the opinion of the services in this matter, this incident also shows as to how the MoD tries to browbeat the services into accepting its views. Needless to state, in litigation, one party to a particular litigation can never direct another to take a particular stand. However this has been continuing unabated in the MoD wherein they force the Services to reflect the stand of the MoD before Courts and not project their (services’) independent views as is permissible under law. And unfortunately, it’s also seen that elements of the JAG Branch usually toe the line of the MoD rather than the Services.
The biggest ‘Thank You’ for this win goes to Retired Defence Officers’ Association (RDOA) who had been unflinchingly following up the matter with great zeal in a very objective and balanced manner.
Jai Hind.
Posted by Navdeep / Maj Navdeep Singh at 5:17 PM
Rank Pay forms part of basic Pay: Supreme Court
Related Blog Posts:
GOI prays before the Supreme Court
Supreme Court Restores Rank Pay denied to Military since 1986
Comment: MOD which tried to cheat the Military of Rank Pay since 1986 has been finally ordered by Supreme Court to pay arrears and interest from 2006. Will the MOD skirt the issue with another appeal? Money has gone down the drain in Coalgate and such like scams. Is the Government being robbed of the National wealth and now declared a pauper that it cannot pay its Soldiers?

Adarsh scam: Ex-army chiefs called to depose

Rajshri Mehta, TNN | Jul 8, 2012, 01.10AM IS MUMBAI: After three former CMs, a number of retired senior army men, including former chiefs Gen N C Vij and Gen Deepak Kapoor, have been summoned by the judicial commission probing the Adarsh housing society scam.
The panel is slated to question Lt Gen (Retd) G S Sihota, who formerly headed the Southern Command, on July 9. He will be followed the next day by the former vice-chief of Army staff, Lt Gen (Retd) Shantanu Choudhary. Gen (Retd) Vij and Gen (Retd) Kapoor will depose on July 11 and a day after will be the turn of two former general officers commanding of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa region, Lt Gen (Retd) Tejinder Singh and Maj Gen (Retd) R K Hooda. All these army bigwigs were allotted flats in Adarsh, though, once a controversy erupted, a few promised to return them.
Adarsh scam: Ex-army chiefs called to depose
Readers Opinion: Navin Kolkatta
Dear Sir, We hope that the deposition of the ex Army top brass will be made public for all to see the extent of collusion in such cases and steps required to prevent such events from recurring. Let us hope no one suffers from amnesia during the deposition hearings!
CBI officer heading probe transferred
Adarsh scam: Bureaucrats plan to contest former CMs’ claims
Comment: CBI comes under MHA and so manipulated by P Chidambaram who is author of hidden scams doing the rounds in the public domain.

Adarsh Scam: Evidence Destroyed- Sabotage Suspected?

Adarsh scam files destroyed in Mantralaya fire?
Thursday, June 21, 2012, 18:35  4   Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: A massive fire, which broke out in Maharashtra's State Secretariat or the Mantralaya building in south Mumbai on Thursday, has given triggered a bitter controversy with reports claiming a sabotage angle in the incident.
Media reports claimed that the fire which started on the fourth floor of the building and later spread to the sixth floor, which houses Chief Minister’s Office, has destroyed several important documents related to the Adarsh Housing society scam, in which several Ministers in the Maharashtra government are facing inquiry.
Sources have also confirmed that files related to the Kargil war have also been damaged in the incident. When quizzed by the reporters, Maharashtra Chief Minmister Prithviraj Chavan said, “Our concern right now is to save people. Issues such as destruction of important files will be discussed later.”
Suspecting a conspiracy in the Mantralaya fire incident, the main opposition BJP has sought an explanation from the Maharashtra government regarding the safety of Adarsh scam related documents.
However, the CBI has categorically denied reports that Adarsh scam related files have been destroyed in the fire.
 
The central probe agency gave an assurance by saying, “All the files relevant to the Adarsh housing society scam are safe with the courts and have not been damaged as a result of the Mantralaya fire.”
The fire - supposedly caused by a short-circuit- started on the fourth floor and later spread to the sixth floor, which houses the Chief Minister’s Office; luckily Chavan was not in his office.
Indian Navy commandoes were pressed into the rescue operation. Specialist Marine Commandos also arrived with specialist equipment.
The fire reportedly started from the cabin of Maharashtra Tribal Affairs Minister Babanrao Pachpute located on the 4th floor at around 3 pm. Pachupate is from the NCP.
The Mantralaya is the State Secretariat and houses the offices of all ministers of the Maharashtra government. From the fourth floor - which houses urban development and education departments – the fire then spread to fifth and sixth floors of the building.
The landmark Mantralaya Building is located in the heart of South Mumbai very near to the Mumbai High Court.
No casualties have been reported so far as the building was evacuated soon after fire was noticed.
The police have cordoned off the area and are in control of the situation
http://zeenews.india.com/news/maharashtra/adarsh-scam-files-destroyed-in-mantralaya-fire_783139.html

Adarsh scamster confident of clean chit from CBI and court

Confident of coming out clean in Adarsh scam probe: Sushilkumar Shinde
Published: Saturday, Jun 2, 2012, 21:46 IST
Place: Solapur | Agency: PTI
Union Power Minister and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Saturday expressed confidence that he would come out clean in the ongoing investigations into the Adarsh Housing Society scam.
He was questioned by the CBI last year in connection with the approval given to the scam-tainted multi-storeyed housing complex in Mumbai.
Both Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh, another former Chief Ministers, dealt with files and passed proposals pertaining to the 31-storeyed building in a posh south Mumbai locality, which was granted permission after allegedly flouting rules and regulations.
Talking to reporters here in Western Maharashtra, Shinde said he had done no wrong whatsoever. "I had only performed my duty as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra (in 2003-04) while sanctioning the permission for Adarsh building. That was a routine work," he said.
The CBI has registered a case against 14 persons, including former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who had to resign when the scandal broke out in 2010, some retired Army officers and Government officials on charges of criminal conspiracy, fraud and misuse of official power.
"I am clean and clear in my mind. There is no mental tension," the Congress leader said when asked about being summoned to appear before a judicial panel, which is also looking into the scam, later this month.
Confident of coming out clean in Adarsh scam probe: Sushilkumar Shinde
Comment:
Military Officers are 100% more cleaner than Politicians. It means all scamsters will be declared clean by the CBI and the Court. Indian Laws are mind boggling as all powerful lawyers who make laws are tainted. We need the intervention of the Almighty to steer us on the right course.

BEML Scamster becomes MOD spokesman

BEML serves legal notice on Gen. V.K.Singh; denies charges
A day after Gen V.K. Singh retired as Chief of Army, public sector BEML on Friday slapped a legal notice on him demanding an apology for his “false and motivated” allegations against it on the Tatra truck issue.
“Legal notice has been issued today. If he does not apologise, we may file a defamation suit against Gen V K Singh”, BEML Chairman and Managing Director V.R.S. Natarajan told reporters in Bangalore.
Gen Singh had alleged that he was offered Rs. 14 crore bribe by a former officer to clear supply of a tranche of 600 Tatra trucks into which the CBI is investigating.
“The former Army chief has made some allegations against BEML. As the CEO of the company, I deny them as absolutely false, motivated, damaging and defamatory”, Mr. Natarajan said.
The CBI has registered a Preliminary Enquiry against retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh on a complaint filed by Singh in which he has alleged that the retired Army officer had offered him the bribe for clearing a ‘sub-standard’ consignment of Tatra trucks.
Mr. Natarajan defended the delay in initiating the process for defamation against Gen. Singh saying the company had to go through the process of seeking legal advice and then placing it before the board for approval.
BEML has not received a single letter that the Tatra vehicles is sub-standard, obsolete or over-priced, Mr. Natarajan said.
BEML serves legal notice on Gen. V.K.Singh>
Comment: MOD is using a corrupt BEML Chairman to settle scores with the Military. This a plot by the IAS lobby whose money laundering opportunity has been severely curtailed. Natarajan is closely linked with MHA and MOD in running benami operations in Bangalore and Hyderabad. The CBI is investigating Natarajan as is evident from media reports. BEML chief using tax payers money to pay its lawyers for the defamation case (the company will be billed Rs 1 crore)... this is a joke!

Adarsh Scam: MOD gives notice to Land Grabbers

Hand over Adarsh land: Defence Ministry to Maharashtra government
NDTV Correspondent | Updated: May 29, 2012 00:09 IST
Mumbai: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has sent a notice to the Maharashtra government claiming the ownership of the land on which the Adarsh Housing Society is built. According to the notice, the land was taken by fraud, connivance between politicians, bureaucrats and defence officials, and that the Maharashtra government is illegally denying property to the Centre.
"The 31-storey building (Adarsh) has been constructed illegally and unlawfully. The MoD is the sole owner of the land. By fraud, collusion and connivance on part of Adarsh members, ministers and bureaucrats of the state government and officials from the defence ministry acting beyond their scope of authority, the land was transferred to Adarsh society," the notice claims.
The notice, which was sent to the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Adarsh society, also says that if the Maharashtra government does not reply within 60 days, the Ministry of Defence will file a title suit in the Bombay High Court.
"In a final attempt to avoid litigation, the defence ministry calls upon the government and Adarsh to reconsider their legal position and acknowledge title of MoD within two months," the notice reads.
However, last month, the judicial commission of inquiry looking into the Adarsh housing scam held that the land on which Adarsh Housing Society stands belongs to the government, and not the Army.
The state government had approached the commission a few months ago seeking an interim report on the points of title and reservation. A two-member panel was set up to probe the scam in January last year.
The panel, which submitted its interim report to the government on April 13, also held that the 31-storey high-rise was not reserved for war heroes and Kargil widows. When the Adarsh scam broke, politicians, bureaucrats and Armymen were accused of grabbing Defence land. The interim report had come as a vindication of the state's stand that it was government land and it was free to allot it.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Sessions Court is likely to pronounce its order in the bail hearing of the seven people accused in the scam today. They had filed bail applications saying the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had not filed its chargesheet even after the mandatory sixty days period from their date of arrest.
The accused in the Adarsh society scam include suspended Maharashtra Finance Secretary Pradeep Vyas, P V Deshmukh, Retired Brigadier MM Wanchoo, former Defence Estates Officer RC Thakur, Retired Major General A R Kumar, Retired Major General TK Kaul and former Congress MLC K L Gidwani.
Hand over Adarsh land: Defence Ministry to Maharashtra government
New move by Bureaucrats to grab Military Lands
Mod to Amend the Works of Defence Act, 1903

Lt Gen Tejinder Singh makes a monkey of all investigative agencies

Revealed: How another Army officer got away with scams
New Delhi: There seems to be no end to troubles for the Defence Ministry, which is already having its share of corruption allegations. Adding more embarrassment to the corruption-hit Ministry, another allegation on an army official has come to the fore.
According to a report published in DNA, a Lieutenant Colonel, accused of misappropriating the ministry's youth funds was allowed to wrongfully use naval facilities as a private operator and got away with one scam after another.
In a case dating back to May 2005, Lt Col Gautam Dutta was named in serious wrongdoings that ranged from over-invoicing of coach boats to excess claim of dearness allowance during international participationbr.
Reporting an incident of financial imporpriety, Commodore AS Bajwa, the then honorary secretary general of the Yachting Association of India (YAI) had named Lt Col Dutta of the Army Yachting Node in Mumbai’s Colaba in a case of financial impropriety.
Even though, A board of inquiry was set up by the Indian Navy in August 2005, Lt Col Dutta’s case was never referred to the Army Headquarters. But even though he was the only Army officer who had been found guilty of misappropriation, no action was taken.
A senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “This was mainly due to the fact that Maj Gen Dutta (Retd), his father, had been intimidating the concerned officers with dire consequences.
According to the DNA report, Lt Col Gautam Dutta’s father, Maj Gen S Dutta, had threatened the inquiry officer Commodore Bajwa for daring to go against his son.”
Further, to avoid inquiry, Lt Col Dutta resigned from the Indian Army toward the end of 2006 and joined his father in selling boats and motor yachts.
In 2007, the YAI initiated disciplinary action against Lt Col Dutta and in Dec 2007, his Life Associate Membership to the YAI was terminated by the General Body. (A copy of the AGM 2007 minutes issued by the YAI is now with DNA).
Tejinder defended Dutta
Interestingly, Adarsh scam beneficiary Lt Gen Tajinder Singh, who was recently named in Army Chief General VK Singh's bribery complaint, was found shielding Lt Col Dutta in the Board of Inquiry from Commodore Bajwa and Captain Rajesh Sarin, the board’s president.
Lt Gen Tejinder had his reasons for defending Lt Col Dutta. As per the reports, Singh went ahead to hush up the Annual Confidential Report (ACR), which listed complaints against Lt Col Gautam Dutta since Maj Gen Dutta was the legal guardian for Tejinder Singh’s daughter when she was studying in Mumbai.
Partners in crime
Gautam Dutta reportedly refunded a sum of Rs 14.86 lakhs to the YAI in 2008. Though this was money that belonged to the government, it was not returned to its source, but signed off as a donation to the YAI, suspending the flow of inquiry.
Some of those who were seen to have helped Dutta continue his corrupt endeavours have since been implicated in the Adarsh scam, while some have been unfortunately misrepresented and have gone on to receive Drona awards.
Surprisingly, all those found guilty of financial irregularities had donated huge amounts of money to the YAI and have resigned from the defence services, and no criminal action was ever taken.
After giving a false statement to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Secretary General rear admiral Monty Khanna has helped the aforementioned offenders get a clean chit.
The donors list on the YAI website shows that Commander Motivala has donated Rs 7.5 lakh and that Applied Nutrition Science (owned by Commander Farookh Tarapore, recipient of Arjuna Award) donated Rs 2.2 lakh after an inquiry found them guilty. Both resigned soon after and returned the cash award money as donation to YAI.
Lt Gen Tejinder Singh and Adarsh Scam
Tejinder Singh withdraws from SC plea against Army chief Gen V K Singh
Comment: Tejinder Singh is well connected with all the Investigation Agencies. He seems to be a conduit for Tatra Scam too- to siphon money to Swiss or similar secret banks. Where did Tejinder Singh get money for booking a flat in Adarsh Housing Society? He is integral to a litany of scams and money laundering. His Political connections needs to be investigated to get to the bottom of all scams. Why is he linked to all the three former Army Chief's. He seems to be making a mockery of Chetwode Motto of IMA. We Veterans pray that Field Marshal Philip Walhouse Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode, 7th Baronet of Oakley, GCB, OM, GCSI, KCMG, DSO gets up from his grave and gives Lt Gen Tejinder what he really deserves!

Judicial Commision tries to Make Monkey of the Military

Land belongs to army: Gen VK Singh

HT Correspondent , Hindustan Times Mumbai, May 01, 2012
General VK Singh, the Chief of Army Staff, was categorical when he said that the land, on which the infamous Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society stands, belongs to the army.

General Singh was in Mumbai to attend a book release function at Mulla Auditorium in Colaba.
General Singh’s statement is in stark contrast to the interim report submitted by the judicial commission to the Maharashtra government.
“The land belongs to the Army,” said General Singh when questioned about the ownership of the land.
The Maharashtra state-appointed judicial commission had concluded that the plot of land in Mumbai belonged to the state government and was not meant for families of Kargil war martyrs, as claimed by the army. The report had stated that the defence establishment could not give sufficient documentary evidence to prove its claim over the land.
But General Singh said, “It was a commission created by the state. We have given documents which has a lot of depth and truth. But whatever documents we had given to the commission, they were not stressed upon.”
When questioned about demolishing the structure, General Singh said: “The order is already there. The onus is on you (media) to ensure it is done.” General Singh further added that corrective measures are being taken to ensure such land scams do not happen in the future.
“During my tenure in the army, whenever an irregularity has been brought to my notice, whether it is Adarsh or Sukhna land scam, action has been taken.” Army chief also pointed out the lack of accountability of the Defence Estate Office to the armed forces.
“At some point the defence estate office used to report to the armed forces,” he said.
“But it was discontinued. And from then there have been instances of additions and subtractions,” he added.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Land-belongs-to-army-Gen-VK-Singh/Article1-848751.aspx
Comment: The Adarsh Scam was the brain child of former Army Chief's who are having the last laugh. A Ponzi scheme to make a fortune in real estate by roping in corrupt bureaucrats and Politicians who made the scheme feasible and ACR's of pliable Officers tweaked at AHQ. The real Military Culprits are now retired and gleaming over their scheme. Few are now cooling their heals in prison comfort. The Land belongs to the Military was never the question... but a twist was given to delay and confuse the real issues. Culprits should be tried for treason.

Adarsh scam: ED to summon flat holders to identify proxies

Manish Pachouly , Hindustan Times
Mumbai, May 02, 2012
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will soon start summoning flat holders in the tainted Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society to gather evidence that would help them attach the properties in the cases found to have violated the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED had on Monday informed the Bombay high court that it would start attaching the properties once the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) files the charge sheet.
The ED had also informed the court that it has already registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against all the 14 persons booked by the CBI. Sources said that to attach properties, the agency would have to gather concrete evidence, for which flat owners suspected to have violated the money laundering law need to be summoned.
The first set of summons would go to the relatives, friends and acquaintances of the accused, named in the first information report (FIR) by the CBI, and who hold flats in Adarsh.
During investigation, the CBI has come across instances where one person holds more than one flat and where flats have been booked in the names of drivers or those with very meagre incomes.
In a recent remand, the CBI had said that former member of legislative council and one of the promoters of the society, Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, had revealed that out of four flats (suspected to be benami, i.e. in proxy names) he holds, two are reserved in proxy names to oblige some high and mighty persons in the government of Maharashtra who dealt with the file during the relevant period and two others for a similar purpose.
The payments for the above flats have been made by Gidwani through his bank accounts.
Sources said that there are many such cases where actual owners of the flats are different from the people in whose names the flats are registered.
The ED will record statements to find out the actual source of payments made for the flats in question.
For this, the ED plans to go into the entire trail of money -- from its origin till the payment was made for the flats.
Sources said the ED would wait before summoning the accused named in the CBI’s FIR, with 9 out of 14 accused behind bars.
Sources said since these accused are in judicial custody, the court's permission would be required to record their statements, and it would also be difficult to take bulk of the documents to the jail.
The ED would therefore summon them once they are out on bail.
Sources said recording statements of family members, friends and acquaintances on whose names the flats are booked would be valuable at this stage.
click here for the original post
Comment: The former chief's who had booked houses in the Adarsh Housing Scam and subsequently withdrawn need to be investigated for money laundering and black money generated by accepting bribes from munition dealers.

Adarsh: A calculated Military Ponzi scheme to reap a harvest

Adarsh case: Land does not belong to defence, says interim report
Reported by Priyanka Kakodkar, Written by Mala Das | Updated: April 18, 2012 01:40 IST
Mumbai: In a huge relief to the Maharashtra government, the judicial commission of inquiry looking into the Adarsh housing scam has held that the land on which Adarsh Housing Society stands belongs to the government, and not the Army.
The state government had approached the commission a few months ago seeking an interim report on the points of title and reservation. A two-member panel was set up to probe the scam in January last year.
The panel, which submitted its interim report to the government last Friday, also held that the 31-storey high-rise was not reserved for war heroes and Kargil widows.
Findings of the interim report, many say, could impact the case of the CBI that's running a parallel probe contending it's a Defence land grab. The investigating agency, however, says that these findings will not affect its case as it is not investigating the land title but the larger conspiracy and corruption.
When the Adarsh scam broke, politicians, bureaucrats and Armymen were accused of grabbing Defence land. This report comes as a vindication of the state's stand that it was government land and it was free to allot it.
"From day one, we have been saying the same thing. But the issue was so hyped by the media and after a lot of publicity and media attention, nobody accepted the stand of the government," said Union Science and Technology Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told NDTV.
"There is no conspiracy. That is established today," said former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan.
This report provides some relief to those involved in giving initial clearances like former chief ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde.
The judicial panel has been tasked with probing all aspects of the scam, including ownership of the land and allotment, as well as alleged violations of rules in grant of various clearances to the building. The commission is also looking into violation of coastal zone regulations.
The illegal green clearance against which the Union Environment Ministry has taken a strong stand came during Mr Mr Shinde's tenure. During Mr Deshmukh's tenure, doubtful additional building rights were granted to Adarsh. And Mr Chavan still faces charges of conflict of interest as three family members were allotted flats in Adarsh during his tenure as revenue minister.
Original Post- click here
Comment
Who then are the culprits who handed over the Khukri Garden Military Lands to Adarsh? Till that point of time there was no controversy regarding the Military Land Ownership. The criminals have arm- twisted the Military out of its fencing! The Adarsh scam is only a droplet in the ocean- an eye- opener to what is is happening in all the cantonments- Land sharks have ursurped Miltary Lands by paying bribes to title holders at the lowest level but operating from the top....