Sena's Prabhu claims he did not know status of Adarsh plot

The two-member panel set up to probe the alleged Adarsh housing society scam was on Friday told by former Union minister Suresh Prabhu, IAS officer Seema Vyas as well Omkar Tiwari, son of former urban development secretary Ramanand Tiwari, that they had not checked the status of the controversial plot before applying for membership. HT Image While Seema Vyas deposed that her membership application form was filled by her husband Pradeep Vyas, the then collector of Mumbai, and that she took a loan from him to fund the purchase, Prabhu, who was the Union environmental minister representing the Shiv Sena at the time, said: “I did not verify the said clearances and I relied on the statements made to me by the society.” Prabhu named Adarsh promoters Kanhaiyalal Gidwani and RC Thakur as the ones who gave him the information. When asked whether she had checked with her husband since the state revenue department was also under him, Seema Vyas said: “I never had any doubt about the status of the land, and I had discussed the proposal not just with my husband but with many friends and well-wishers. “The discussion with my father was on whether I should apply for the membership, and whether I was eligible,” he said, and added: “I knew the location of the land, and did not check with my father about its status.” Seema Vyas, who is currently the Commissioner of Employees State Insurance Scheme, said: “The contents in the application form are written by my husband.