Handing down indictments against several senior Army officers for being involved in the Adarsh scam and endangering national security, a Ministry of Defence inquiry has recommended that these officials be debarred from holding any government position or office, an exclusive report in The Print says.
Also Read: Indian Army to Probe Role of Its Officials in Adarsh Society Scam
Among those named are:
- Gen NC Vij, 21st Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army (2002-2005)
- Deepak Kapoor, 23rd Chief of Army Staff (2007-2010)
The probe panel also mentions three retired Lt Generals – G S Sihota, Tejinder Singh and Shantanu Choudhary – and four Major Generals – AR Kumar, VS Yadav, TK Kaul and R K Hooda – in its over 100-page report, citing a range of violations and irregularities.
Strong Words to Condemn Actions of the Army Officials
Sources said the defence ministry report is a validation of the findings of a Court of Inquiry by the Army in 2011 which had probed the roles of a number of military officials in the scam.
According to the findings of the probe, Gen Vij appeared to have provided a "protective umbrella" towards efforts in facilitating the “alienation of the land in question”.
It said at no stage did he raise any questions on the matter, nor did he flag any security concerns during the annual security review as the Army Commander or otherwise.
The report said it was known that he had a "vested interest" in the matter.
About Gen Kapoor, the report said though he was not directly connected with the case, he was not "well advised" in accepting a membership of the society, adding that it did not seem he had adequately weighed the implications of accepting a flat in the complex.
The Print quotes the inquiry report as severely criticising the army officials’ role in the scam.
Attention in the Adarsh scam so far has centred on the wrongdoings and irregularities by the politicians and bureaucrats concerned with the approval process who exploited their position to become beneficiaries of ACHS, ostensibly promoted for the welfare of Kargil heroes and war widows. As we have found, perhaps as great a role was played by the military and Defence Estates Officers involved.The Print
Considering that the Army Act limits legal cases until three years of retirement because of which these officers can no longer be acted against, the inquiry has suggested that the government convey its displeasure to them and bar them from holding office in the central government.
Conducted by retired IAS officer Rajan Katoch and Lt Gen Ravi Thodge, the inquiry recommends that the government utilise the building for the housing of defence personnel after approaching the SC for a takeover.
The Background
The Adarsh Society scam first emerged in 2003 when reports surfaced about a high rise building being constructed near Colaba, close to military installations. The Indian Navy had raised security concerns as the 31-storey building overlooked several of its key installations. The apartments, located in a fashionable area of Mumbai, were meant for the families of Kargil heroes. But army officers, politicians and bureaucrats were allegedly allotted flats in violation of the rules.
The Bombay high court, in an order last year, blamed members of the housing society, who it said happened to be close relatives of highly placed bureaucrats or related to politicians or ministers, for conspiring to grab a plot. The venture involved a large number of senior military officials, politicians and bureaucrats, even though the society was meant for war heroes and families of those killed in the Kargil war.
The then chief minister Ashok Chavan was also compelled to resign when it emerged that he sanctioned the project as revenue minister, and his relatives were given flats in the building.
According to the findings, almost all the military officials found guilty in the scam were given flats in the complex.
(With inputs from PTI.)