MoEF considers fresh hearing before demolition

Holding that the building,located in a plush neighbourhood in Colaba,violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and was therefore unauthorised,the MoEF had on January 16 ordered its demolition. The society had then contested the order in the High Court. In their petition before the HC,the society members said that seven years after granting necessary sanctions,the ministry cannot term the building illegal. They also said they were not heard by the ministry after its advisor Nalini Bhatt filed a report regarding the legality of the building.

Hearing a group of civil petitions pertaining to the Adarsh scam,a Division Bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R G Ketkar adjourned the case for further hearing till March 25.

In another group of criminal writ petitions in the case,the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been given time till March 16 to file an affidavit in reply to the society’s challenge against the freezing of its bank accounts.

As a result of their frozen accounts in two branches of the State Bank of India,“the very existence of our society is in question”,the society’s advocate Satish Maneshinde told the court.

Khambata said the CBI will file a report pertaining to its investigations made in the scam. “The report is ready in draft,” he said. The court then directed the CBI to submit its report next week.

On January 29,the CBI had registered an FIR in the case naming 13 accused,including former CM Ashok Chavan.