Adarsh scam main accused Kanhaiyalal Gidwani dies

Mumbai: Promoter of controversial Adarsh Housing Society in the posh Colaba area of south Mumbai and main accused in the Adarsh scam, Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, 64, died of a heart ailment on Tuesday in a private hospital, according to people close to the family.

add_main_imageGidwani suffered a heart attack on Monday and was rushed to a hospital in the city, but died while undergoing treatment in the morning.

Gidwani, who started as a commodity trader in Sangli, was a close associate of Vasantdada Patil, Congress leader and former chief minister of the state. He joined the Shiv Sena in 1996 and became member of Upper House of the state legislature (legislative council) in 2001. He left Shiv Sena along with state’s industry minister Narayan Rane in 2006 and joined the Congress party. Subsequently, he held positions as secretary and spokesman of party’s state unit.NextMAds

The 33-storied Adarsh Housing Society building ran into trouble because of alleged irregularities including allowing civilians to own apartments for a plot that was meant for housing of retired defense personnel and widows of Kargil martyrs, floor-space index violations and costal regulation zone violations.

Gidwani was named by the Central Bureau of Investigations as an accused in the chargesheet filed in July this year along with former chief minister Ashok Chavan, top bureaucrats including Jairaj Phatak, Pradeep Vyas and retired major general M.M. Wanchoo.