This Article is From Aug 23, 2012

Adarsh probe: Ex-Army chief NC Vij deposes before inquiry panel

Adarsh probe: Ex-Army chief NC Vij deposes before inquiry panel
Mumbai: In an important deposition in the Adarsh probe, former Army chief NC Vij appeared before the two-member inquiry panel.

During the questioning, the former Army chief told the commission that it didn't strike him that Adarsh could be a security threat; Mr Vij also said that he didn't really apply his mind.

The former Army chief was allotted a flat on 28th floor.

In his deposition last month, former Army chief General Deepak Kapoor contradicted the Defence Ministry's stand  and maintained that the Adarsh building is not a security threat for the nearby defence installation as compared to other high-rise buildings in the area. General Kapoor had given up the Adarsh membership after the news of the scam broke out.

The Defence Ministry has always maintained that Adarsh Society was illegally built on their land.

There are multiple agencies probing the Adarsh scandal, including the judicial commission which was set up by the Maharashtra government after the outcry over the scam. The commission is probing the ownership of the land and whether it was reserved for Kargil War heroes.

The interim report submitted by the commission stated that the land belongs to the state. Three former chief ministers of Maharashtra who have deposed before the panel - Ashok Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh - too have maintained that the land belonged to the state.

Mr Chavan is among 13 people who have been charge-sheeted by CBI in the multi-crore scam. He has been charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy for recommending the allotment of 40 per cent of flats to civilians in what was supposed to be a society for defence personnel.

.