The judicial commission inquiring into scam-tainted Adarsh Housing Society has been granted another six-months extension to complete its probe and submit a report on the same to the Maharashtra Government.

The two-member panel, comprising former Bombay High Court Judge, Mr J.A. Patil, and former Maharashtra Chief Secretary, Mr P. Subramanian, was formed by the Maharashtra Government to probe alleged violations of the civic and environmental laws in constructing the 31-storey high rise in South Mumbai.

The commission, which is looking into the ownership of the plot among other charges, was originally supposed to submit its report in this regard in January 2012 and had sought an extension till August 2012 to complete its work.

The panel was assigned the mandate to ascertain whether the plot of land granted to the plush society was reserved for the martyrs of Kargil war, besides other acts of alleged commission and omission, including expansion of nearby Prakash Pethe Road, change in reservation of BEST plot, apparently to facilitate the high rise.

The panel has so far examined 15 persons, including Brigadier Deepak Saxena, former officer in the Defence Estate Department, Mr R.C. Thakur, and former municipal commissioner, Mr Jairaj Phatak.

The evidence of former principal secretary to the then Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Chavan, Mr Subash Lalla, who is also one of the accused in the case, is currently being recorded by the commission.

The panel is yet to examine Union Ministers, Mr Sushilkumar Shinde and Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, concerning their alleged role.

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