The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to take over the Adarsh housing society in Mumbai’s Colaba area within a week, PTI reported. However, the top court told the government not to demolish the building while taking possession of it. Members of the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society had moved the court against a Mumbai High Court ruling directing the building to be demolished. In April, the Mumbai High Court had granted a 12-week stay on the demolition order, and also directed that action be taken against bureaucrats and politicians who allowed the tower to be built.
The 31-storey residential tower in upscale Colaba was meant for army veterans and war widows, but the plush apartments were given to several top politicians, bureaucrats and their families. A judicial committee set up to investigate the scam found that at least 25 of the houses went to ineligible people and 22 were sold under proxy names.
When the scandal broke in 2010, Congress leader and then Chief Minister Ashok Chavan was forced to resign, as it came to light that three of his relatives were alloted homes in the building. In February, Maharashtra Governor Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao allowed the CBI to prosecute Chavan in the case.
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