MUMBAI: The Governor's office has been saved from setting a "new precedent", Congress leader Ashok Chavan said today after the Bombay High Court quashed the sanction to prosecute him granted by the Maharashtra governor in the Adarsh housing society scam.
Maintaining that the allegations against him were baseless and without any proof, the former chief minister said the court order reaffirms his faith in the judiciary.
The high court today quashed and set aside Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao's sanction granted to the CBI in 2016 to prosecute the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president in the Adarsh Housing scam.
"The HC order reaffirms my faith in the judiciary. I am satisfied. The state governor had given the sanction to prosecute me overruling the decision of his predecessor. With today's court decision, the governor's office has been saved from setting a new precedent," Chavan told reporters.
He said he had always maintained that the case against him was "politically motivated."
Chavan said the court order came because the allegations against him were "baseless and without any proof".
"I suffered personal damage in the last seven years because of the charges against me. I had to quit as the chief minister. But, I am involved in my party work. I am thankful to the people in my constituency for standing by me," Chavan said.
He also said the BJP should not indulge in the politics of vendetta at a personal level.
To a question on whether he would be the chief ministerial face of the Congress in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Chavan said any decision in this regard would be taken by the party.
Meanwhile, NCP leader Jayant Patil said the high court's order in the Adarsh case had exposed the BJP's "false propaganda" during elections.
"Like the 2G (scam case) verdict, people are realising that the BJP was involved in a campaign to malign the Congress-led governments at the centre and in the state," he alleged.
In February 2016, Governor Rao had granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Chavan.
Later, Chavan moved the high court challenging the governor's sanction.
In December 2013, Rao's predecessor K Sankaranarayanan had refused sanction to the CBI to prosecute the Congress leader.
