Environment ministry may give fresh hearing to Adarsh Society

Mumbai: The environment and forest ministry on Tuesday told the Bombay High Court that it is considering giving the controversial Adarsh Society a fresh hearing against the demolition order and will file an affidavit within two weeks.

“The ministry is considering giving the society a fresh hearing against the demolition order. A final decision will be taken within two weeks after which an affidavit would be filed,” assistant solicitor general Darius Khambatta, appearing for the ministry, said.

A division bench of justices Ranjana Desai and Rajesh Ketkar was hearing a bunch of petitions filed in the high court in connection with the Adarsh Housing Society scam, which included the society’s petition challenging the Environment ministry’s demolition order.

The ministry had on 16 January ordered the demolition of the 31-storeyed Adarsh building after observing that it was “unauthorised”.

The bench has now adjourned hearing in the case till 25 March.

Meanwhile, another petition filed by the Society seeking for CBI to defreeze its bank accounts was adjourned till 16 March. CBI, which is probing the scam, is likely to file its progress report before the court on that day.

The agency had on 29 January registered a case against 13 people including former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, on charges of criminal conspiracy, fraud and misuse of official powers.