Adarsh missing files: Custody of UDD staff extended

A lower court, on Tuesday, remanded three Mantralaya clerks in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for six more days to allow the agency to continue its probe into the missing papers from a file that contains details about the now infamous Adarsh housing society scam.

A lower court, on Tuesday, remanded three Mantralaya clerks in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for six more days to allow the agency to continue its probe into the missing papers from a file that contains details about the now infamous Adarsh housing society scam.

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Additional metropolitan magistrate at Esplanade court remanded Gurudatt Wajpe, desk officer, Urban Development Department-12, NN Narvekar, assistant town planner, Urban Development Department-11 and Waman Rawool, the then clerk to principal secretary, Urban Development Department, in CBI custody till May 16.

Appearing for the CBI, public prosecutor Azhar Ali Ansari told the court that the CBI had recovered 14 files containing various official letters, circulars, orders and notifications. The CBI recovered these files from Wajpe’s residence on May 6. The CBI found two office seals and rubber stamps of under secretary, urban development department from Rawool’s house. “We need to confront the accused with the evidence and find out who their other accomplices are,” Ansari told HT.

CBI’s previous remand sheet had alleged that the Adarsh file had completed its journey in August 2003 after it was sent to the record room. “The scrutiny of the movement register of the office of principal secretary, UDD, revealed that inward entry of the Adarsh file was done in the register on February 17, 2003 and the file was sent to another UD official on February 20, 2003,” the remand sheet read. CBI went on to say that Rawool made an entry on November 2, 2005 showing that the file has been sent to another department.

The CBI had also claimed that in response to an RTI application in 2006, Narvekar, following instructions from his senior officials, had provided documents from the file and was in possession of or had access to Adarsh files.

CBI added that a search for the file went on for three days during October 27-29, 2010 but could not be found. It says that at the instance of Wajpe, another search was carried out and the file was found, but with the note sheets missing.

“It gives rise to the suspicion that Wajpe was confident the file was available in the cupboard when he asked for the search again,” the CBI said, adding that Wajpe was also in possession of one of the keys of the cupboard.