Phatak’s flat, lockers sealed

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which raided former civic chief Jairaj Phatak on Tuesday for his alleged complicity in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam, sealed one of his flats and two lockers in Mumbai.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which raided former civic chief Jairaj Phatak on Tuesday for his alleged complicity in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam, sealed one of his flats and two lockers in Mumbai.

HT Image

The Colaba society has been accused of violating environmental norms and getting land on the promise that houses would be built for war veterans and widows.

However, most of the flats went to politicians, bureaucrats and military commanders, many of them in a position to influence clearances.

Phatak was accused of illegally clearing an increase in its height.

Phatak’s son Kanishk was among those allotted an apartment in Adarsh at rates far lower than the market value.

Highly-placed CBI sources said on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media that Phatak’s flat at Versova was sealed because it was locked and the keys were not made available to them.

“We have also sealed two lockers in his wife’s name,” a senior CBI officer.

“We have called for a statement of his bank accounts,” the officer said, adding that Phatak had rented out two of his flats.

“He used to get Rs 1.5 lakh per month as rent from his Bandra flat.”

He said Phatak may visit the city soon to open the Versova flat and operate the lockers.

“We haven’t taken a decision on questioning him,” the officer said, adding that the raids that began at 7 am on Tuesday went on till midnight.

The officer said Phatak has been named as an accused in the case but ruled out imminent arrest.

“We have booked him and need to gather evidence against him,” he said.

Phatak is a 1978 batch Indian Administrative Services officer and presently heads the Rural Electrification Corporation, New Delhi.

In its first information report, filed on January 29, the CBI named Phatak in the list of people awaiting sanction for prosecution.

His rank is equivalent to that of a joint secretary, which made Central clearance for his prosecution mandatory.

The CBI has listed seven properties that belong to Phatak and his family.

These include a flat in Sai Prasad building in Bandra (East), one in Mira Apartment at Versova, a bungalow on Plot No 4 in Sector 10 of Nigdee, a neighbourhood in Pune, and an ancestral property at Yavatmal.