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Antulay Cement Scam Reporting Sem 5 Journalism
A.R.Antulay was chief minister of Maharashtra (9 June 1980 to 12 January 1982).
He set up a trust Indira Gandhi Pratibha Pratishthan to encourage talent and artists.
Corpus of Rs 5.2 crore of which Rs 2 crore came as grant from Maharashtra government
Remaining money was collected as donations from builders and sugar co-operatives
Government issued orders asking sugar co-operatives were asked to donate for trust Rs 2.5 for per tonne production of sugar.
As there was cement scarcity and government was issuing cement allocation, builders were asked to donate per bag of cement allocation. Raheja had paid Rs 40 per bag for 700 tonnes of cement. Raheja paid Rs 5.6 lakh.
Trust was shown as government trust, but it was not. It was private trust with Antulay as main trustee and his friends as other trustees. The trust deed was such that Antulay could take away all money personally if the trust were winded up.
P.B.Samant, a builder and Socialist leader from Goregaon, and Ramdas Nayak, BJP corporator, went against him to Mumbai High Court.
Someone told Ramnath Goenka, owner of Indian Express about this and asked him to write about it. Goenka called his blue eyed boy editor Arun Shourie to Mumbai and asked him to write. Indian Express and Loksatta exposed the scandal. Sahrad Pawar, opposition leader, and Shalinitai Patil, Revenue Minister, worked hand in glove to gather information and provide it to Shourie.
In January 1982 Justice B. Lentin gave judgment against Antulay saying that there was nexus and quid pro-quo in donations and cement allocation,
Fought a long battle to clear his name.
He set up a trust Indira Gandhi Pratibha Pratishthan to encourage talent and artists.
Corpus of Rs 5.2 crore of which Rs 2 crore came as grant from Maharashtra government
Remaining money was collected as donations from builders and sugar co-operatives
Government issued orders asking sugar co-operatives were asked to donate for trust Rs 2.5 for per tonne production of sugar.
As there was cement scarcity and government was issuing cement allocation, builders were asked to donate per bag of cement allocation. Raheja had paid Rs 40 per bag for 700 tonnes of cement. Raheja paid Rs 5.6 lakh.
Trust was shown as government trust, but it was not. It was private trust with Antulay as main trustee and his friends as other trustees. The trust deed was such that Antulay could take away all money personally if the trust were winded up.
P.B.Samant, a builder and Socialist leader from Goregaon, and Ramdas Nayak, BJP corporator, went against him to Mumbai High Court.
Someone told Ramnath Goenka, owner of Indian Express about this and asked him to write about it. Goenka called his blue eyed boy editor Arun Shourie to Mumbai and asked him to write. Indian Express and Loksatta exposed the scandal. Sahrad Pawar, opposition leader, and Shalinitai Patil, Revenue Minister, worked hand in glove to gather information and provide it to Shourie.
In January 1982 Justice B. Lentin gave judgment against Antulay saying that there was nexus and quid pro-quo in donations and cement allocation,
Fought a long battle to clear his name.