Sr defence officials had vested interests: Adarsh whistleblower

Saurav Ray, the former defence estate officer who blew the lid off the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam on Monday claimed that senior defence officials had vested interests in the society and diluted his recommendations for getting the land back to the army.

Saurav Ray, the former defence estate officer who blew the lid off the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam on Monday claimed that senior defence officials had vested interests in the society and diluted his recommendations for getting the land back to the army. Ray made these remarks before the Adarsh Inquiry Commission on Monday.

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"There were other senior defence estate officers in Southern Command and directorate general of defence estates who were members of the Adarsh CHS and had vested interest in taking up the proposal and diluting my objections and observations," Ray said before the Commission.

In June 2003, after the land was handed over to Adarsh CHS, Ray had written to Pradeep Vyas, the erstwhile Collector, seeking the transfer of the land in favour of the Indian Navy and had also requested the collector not to transfer the land to any private housing society.

In November 2003, Ray wrote to the director of audit, Defence Services claiming that the Adarsh CHS was "dubious".

"I said so because Adarsh CHS was using the name and façade of the welfare of ex-servicemen and Kargil martyrs, whereas many of its member were civilians who had no connection with the army, or the Kargil operation," Ray said.

"They were misusing the sentiments of Kargil martyrs for their own benefit," he added.

Ray specially flew down from Phnom Penh for the deposition.