The Bombay high court on Friday ordered the demolition of Adarsh Housing Society, an illegal apartment block in the plush Colaba area of Mumbai that became a symbol of political corruption and led to the ouster of Ashok Chavan as Maharashtra chief minister.
A bench of justice Ranjit More and justice Rajesh Ketkar asked the Centre and the Maharashtra government to consider initiating “civil and criminal action against politicians, ministers and bureaucrats” involved in the scam for “misuse and abuse of power.”
It also asked the state government to inquire as to how the construction of the 31-storey building was allowed.
The cooperative housing society has also been directed by the high court to pay Rs 6 lakh as costs to several officials of the Union ministry of environment and forest and state government. The cost of the demolition of the building is also to be recovered from the housing society.
The court, however, gave the housing society 12 weeks to approach the Supreme Court.
@Agency report.
