New Delhi, November 4
Indian Defence Minister A K Antony today reportedly briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the outcome of the ongoing in-house probe of the Ministry of Defence into the Adarsh society scam involving senior bureaucrats, defence officers and politicians.

Well placed sources said Antony called on the Prime Minister at the latter’s residence this evening. Just minutes before this meeting between the Prime Minister and Antony, the beleaguered former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor had called on Antony in the latter’s South Block office. Gen Kapoor, who is one of the allottees of an apartment in the Adarsh Society, had sought time to meet the Defence minister this morning.

The reason why Gen Kapoor called on the Defence Minister at this juncture of the in-house probe is obvious. The Ministry is set to announce “punitive” action by Monday and General Kapoor can still be hauled up under the Army Act. He still falls within the ambit of the Army Act as it allows all “reprimanding actions” for a period of three years after superannuation.

Another former chief Gen NC Vig and former Naval Chief Admiral Madhvendra Singh are now beyond the ambit of the Army Act and the Navy Act - which are both far more severe and swifter that civil laws.

Defence Ministry sources said Kapoor had written to Antony seeking an appointment so that he could clear the air over the criticism that he and fellow services chiefs had got flats for themselves in the upscale Colaba housing society, though a part of it was meant for Kargil widows and martyrs’ families.

Efforts to reach Gen Kapoor over his mobile phone for comments proved futile. Kapoor, sources said, expectedly clarified some points to the Defence Minister. The issue re-surfaced recently after Western Naval Commander Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin flagged security concerns over the 31-storey highrise.