May 4, 2019:
On Friday, Uttarakhand HC declared all the orders passed by State Government from 2001 till date providing free housing and other facilities for life to former chief ministers “illegal and unconstitutional.”
High Court Bench asked Ex-CMs to pay their pending house rent dues totalling Rs 2.8 crore, calculated at to market rates, and within six months.
Besides, Former CMs will also have to clear miscellaneous expenses worth Rs 13 crore in terms of water, electricity and phone bills as well as expenses on travel, fuel and salary of staff members.
According to the data cited by Petitioner, Doon-based NGO, Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, the pending rent of five ex-CMs has been calculated by the state government and submitted in the court as an affidavit.
Former CM N D Tiwari owes state government Rs 1.12 crore followed by B S Koshyari who has to pay Rs 47.57 lakh as rent. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has pending rent dues of Rs 40.95 lakh, while Vijay Bahuguna has to pay Rs 37.50 lakh.
According to data cited by petitioner which was procured through RTI, Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s miscellaneous dues are over Rs 3 crore followed by B C Khanduri (Rs 2.8 crore), N D Tiwari (Rs 2.3 crore), Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (Rs 2.1 crore) and Vijay Bahuguna (Rs 1.1 crore). Former chief minister Nityanand Swami also owes the state Rs 1.5 lakh.
Case was heard in division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Ramesh Chandra Khulbe.
Bench had concluded the hearings of matter on February 26, but reserved its judgment which was delivered on Friday.
Taking note of this pending amount, the HC further directed the state government to again calculate the amount within four months and to intimate it to the ex-CMs, who “within six months from the date of such intimation, will have to pay the final amount to the state government.”
Source TOI
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