MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan is the 13th accused in the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam, thus becoming the first CM of the state to figure as an accused in any FIR.The CBI, which registered the FIR and gave it to a special CBI court on Saturday, gave a copy of the document to the Bombay high court on Monday. The CBI is investigating the scam involving allegations of illegal land allotment and environmental violations in the Colaba sea-facing building where top politicians, bureaucrats and their relatives have flats. The allotment was initially meant for serving and retired defence personnel and their families, including Kargil war heroes and their widows. TOI first exposed the scam in a report on October 25, 2010 and wrote on January 31 that Chavan may figure among the accused.The CBI`s FIR says that Chavan played a key role in the conspiracy and abused his official position as revenue minister back in 2000 and later as CM. As revenue minister he became a member of the criminal conspiracy with R C Thakur, Brig M M Wanchu and K Gidwani (ex-MLC). He proposed to include civilians as members of Adarsh Society with ulterior motive to make his relatives members in the society, the FIR states. The longest paragraph in the roles attributed to each accused concerns Chavan.The 13 accused include six retired top army brass, four ex-IAS officers, two politicians and a former defence estates officer. Former city collector I A Kundan, who was earlier reported as being among the 13, is not among the accused. Former civic commissioner Jairaj Phatak is being treated as the 14th name whose role will be investigated under provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. Phatak holds the rank of joint secretary, government of India, and anyone of that rank or above cannot be investigated for allegations under the Prevention of Corruption Act without prior approval of the Centre. Until then, Phatak remains just a suspect.In an indication that the list of accused may grow, the FIR also accuses other unknown public servants and private persons.The FIR accuses the 13 of offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), like criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery for the purpose of cheating and public servants using forged documents as genuine. They have also been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the maximum punishment attracted is seven years in jail.Chavan, who had to step down last year as a result of the scam being exposed, played a continuing role between 2000 and 2009 in the development of the 31-storey building on prime Colaba property, alleges the CBI. The FIR states, After induction of civilian members in the society, process of allotment of land got expedited by officers of the state. The society approved the proposal to induct civilians, changing the complexion of the society.The former CMs role did not end there, says the CBI. Chavan as CM in July 2009 gave the society the concession of 15% Recreation Ground (RG) which was not allowed earlier by the state government and in turn got membership for his close relatives and thus abused his official position and favoured the society, states the FIR.On Pradeep Vyas, former Mumbai city collector, the CBI says that from 2002 to 2005 he approved false documents as proof of income submitted by members and accepted ineligible members for which his wife, a serving IAS officer, was given membership to Adarsh.The former defence officials named in the FIR include Maj Gen (Retd) A R Kumar and Brig (Retd) R C Sharma, who helped clear the land from the armys side. They allegedly abused their official position and dishonestly issued purported NOC to collector, Mumbai, for development of the plot as they were members of the society. Brig (retd) P K Rampal, as then general-officer-in-command (GOC), did not object to the NOC, the FIR says.Maj Gen (retd) T K Kaul, who is among the accused, allegedly misrepresented facts to Parliament in 2003. In a reply to a Lok Sabha-starred question, he said the land wasnt and had never been under the armys occupation. Brig (Retd) T K Sinha is accused of saying by letter that the management of defence land in Mumbai was the responsibility of the Local Military Authority and not the Defence Estates Office.With respect to Phatak`s role, the FIR explains that the state had set up a high-rise committee headed by a retired high court judge. Any building over 70 metres high had to be referred to the committee. The committee had recommended a 97.6-metre height for Adarsh, but the society added one more floor in September 2007. Former BMC chief Phatak illegally regularized the new height without referring it to the high-rise committee. The final height was 100.7 metres.Among the accused are R C Thakur, former defence estates officer; Brig (Retd) M M Wanchu; ex-MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani; Maj Gen (Retd) A R Kumar; Brig (Retd) R C Sharma; Maj Gen (Retd) T K Kaul; Brig (Retd) T K Sinha; Brig (Retd) P K Rampal; P V Deshmukh, former UD deputy secretary; former principal secretary, UD, Ramanand Tiwari; former CMs secretary Subhash Lalla; ex-collector Pradeep Vyas; and former CM Chavan.