Author: Times News Network
Publication: The Times of India
Date: September 21, 2002
The Bombay high court on Wednesday
admitted a petition challenging the allotmcnt of a large plot at Nariman
Point, by chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, to the Shankarrao Chavan Trust
in March 2001 on an annual lease of Re 1.
The petition filed by Manav Shankar
Joshi of Bhrashtachari Nirmoolan Sanghatana contended that the allotment
was made to Mr S.B, Chavan, a former chief minister of the state and a
Union minister, without inviting any tenders. A division bench comprising
Justice Ajit Shah and Justice Ranjana Desai said the matter required to
be heard at length. They observed that there was no explanation from the
state government to show why it had allotted the 2,057 sq mtr plot at "such
a shockingly poor rate" and without fixing anynorms or following any procedure.
The judges had earlier questioned
the credentials ot the trustees-Vijay Kalantari, who is the treasurer of
the state Congress. Ashok Chavan, who is state revenue minister and the
son of Mr S.B. Chavan and Jayant Shah a businessman. The court wanted to
know what charities they had undertaken. The court observed that the hearing
needs to be expedited and scheduled the matter for final hearing on October
14.
Advocate general Goolam Vahanvati
who opposed the petition, said he was unable to obtain instructions from
the concerned government departments to file a reply. The court had asked
the state to frame a policy for allotment of plots for public use- The
court relied on certain Supreme Court verdicts which held that a government
decision, while granting any largesse, should not be arbitrary, irrelevant
or irrational.
