Court refuses to entertain plea against Chavan

MUMBAI - Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan heaved a sigh of relief Monday after the Bombay High Court refused to entertain a suit against him for not revealing details of his flat in Wadala here in his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha.

The suit was filed by Pune-based social worker Hemant B. Patil, who heads the Rashtriya Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Shakti.

Chavan, who was a minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office before taking charge as the Maharashtra chief minister, is still a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Patil’s plea was scrutinised by the high court officials before it could come up for hearing. They advised him to approach the Election Commission of India.

In his petition, Patil alleged that Chavan reportedly failed to disclose details of his flat located in the Venus Cooperative Housing Society in Wadala, central Mumbai.

Flats in the building were meant to house people with economically weak background.

Patil argued that while applying for the flat, Chavan filed an affidavit that he was economically backward.

Patil questioned how Chavan could be economically backward when he completed his higher education in the US.

The flat was allotted to Chavan’s mother.