Army knew state owned Adarsh land: Brigadier

Deposing before the Adarsh inquiry commission on Thursday, a senior Army official admitted that the Army was aware that the state government owned the Adarsh society land.

Deposing before the Adarsh inquiry commission on Thursday, a senior Army official admitted that the Army was aware that the state government owned the Adarsh society land.

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Brigadier Deepak Saxena from the state military headquarters said from 1958 it had been brought to the notice of the Army that the land belonged to the state government. “It is true that there was a series of correspondence stating that the land in block VI belonged to the government of Maharashtra,” Saxena said

He also said that the Army had not objected to the inclusion of the controversial land in the state government’s Draft Development plan. “The Army headquarters was aware the land was earmarked by the state government in the draft development plan. It is also true that the Army did not object to the inclusion of the land in this plan,” Saxena said.

Saxena said the Army headquarters knew one of its officers, Lt Gen GL Sihote, had applied for membership to Adarsh society. This was based on the letter written by Brigadier Parvinder Singh, who worked under Sihote, to the Army headquarters.

Saxena, who had earlier denied any confidential report on the Adarsh scam by the Army, made a U-turn on Wednesday, saying it had been prepared by colonel Manish Erry, director, planning (Lands), Quarter Master General Branch, Army headquarters, New Delhi in May 2010.