Mumbai,
The Bombay High Court today stayed the sanction granted by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to the CBI to prosecute Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Housing Society scam, bringing cheer to Congress workers in Mumbai.

Hearing a petition filed by Chavan challenging the sanction, Judges Ranjit More and Sadhana Jadhav said the CBI had failed to “present any fresh evidence” against the Congress leader — the ground on which the CBI had obtained the Governor’s sanction. The material presented to the Governor did not amount to credible fresh evidence against the Congress leader, the court ruled. “The sanctioning authority is an independent body that can’t allow itself to be influenced by anyone’s opinion,” it said.

Following the sanction, the CBI had filed cases against Chavan under the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy and cheating. Chavan had to resign as Maharashtra CM in 2010 following allegations that he had allotted flats to his relatives in the controversial Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society in Mumbai.

He was also accused of approving sale of flats in the society to civilians during his tenure as Revenue Minister. The Adarsh Society was originally conceived as a project to house Kargil war veterans and widows.