Adarsh Scam: Fresh inquiry holds two former Army Chiefs guilty

Mumbai: A high-level defence military inquiry divulged that in the much-hyped Adarsh housing scam that took place in Maharashtra, several high ranked officials, including two former Army Chiefs, have been found guilty of indulging in irregularities.

The inquiry report claimed that "appropriate administrative measures" are required against former Army Chiefs General NC Vij (2002-2005) and General Deepak Kapoor (2007-2010). The report has also mentioned the names of three Lieutenant Generals and four Major Generals and dozens of other military and Defence Estates Office (DEO) officers.

The three former Lt-Gens are GS Sihota, Tejinder Singh and Shantanu Choudhary, while the Major-Generals are AR Kumar, VS Yadav, TK Kaul and RK Hooda. These names were earlier also mentioned in the internal Army inquiry that was submitted to the defence ministry in 2011.

These defence officials were those who got flats in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society, the 31-storeyed tower in Mumbai's Colaba area. The building is a major threat to the security of the adjacent defence installations and helipad in the Colaba military station.

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As per the CBI charge-sheet filed in July 2012, the other six officers, Major Generals AR Kumar and TK Kaul, Brigadiers TK Sinha and MM Wanchu, Colonel RK Bakshi and former DEO officer RC Thakur, who was the alleged kingpin, are facing criminal charges. The trial, however, is yet to begin. The others have not faced action yet.

It may be recalled that the revelation of the scam had led to then Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's resignation. At that time it was claimed that top military officers had worked in association win bureaucrats and top politicians to sabotage rules in the allotment of government land to the housing society under the name of war widows, their children and former servicemen.