Chavan wants to skip Adarsh panel hearing

On the eve of his scheduled deposition before the judicial panel probing the Adarsh Housing Society scam,former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan urged the commission to exempt him from appearing,saying his personal presence was not necessary.

Chavan,who was forced to quit in 2010 following allegations that he had favoured the society with approvals and got apartments as a quid pro quo,was due to be questioned by the two-member panel on Wednesday. However,he moved an application on Tuesday seeking exemption.

Last June,Chavan had replied through an affidavit to three of the 13 points of reference being probed by the panel. On Tuesday,his lawyer told the panel that his personal presence was not required. Now that the commission has decided upon the first two points of reference,Chavans physical presence before the commission becomes pointless. He has already mentioned everything he knew about Adarsh in his affidavit. There is nothing more to add, said his counsel Amit Desai.