Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 31: In the much publicized Public Interest Litigation seeking eviction of ex-Ministers/ex-Legislators from the Ministerial Bunglows/ A-Type Govt Kothies, a Division Bench of High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh today directed Senior AAG to report whether the occupants have vacated Government accommodation.
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The Division Bench at Jammu, comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M A Chowdhary, directed Senior AAG S S Nanda, appearing for UT of J&K/Estates Department, to file fresh compliance report indicating as to whether the 31 ex-Ministers/ex-Legislators have vacated the Govt accommodation or not as on the last date of hearing dated September 25th, 2024.
AAG Amit Gupta, pursuant to status report dated September 11th, 2024 had informed the Division Bench that 31 ex-Ministers/ ex-Legislators except Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chief Minister and Ravinder Raina, J&K President BJP, shall vacate the Bunglows/Houses immediately after the conclusion of the election process.
After hearing Advocate S S Ahmed with Advocate Supriya Chouhan, the Division Bench further observed that the fresh compliance report with regard to status report dated 11-09-2024 be filed positively by or before the next date of hearing failing which appropriate orders shall be passed on the next date of hearing.
When this PIL came up for hearing, Advocate S S Ahmed, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that despite the completion of election process, the 31 ex-Ministers/ ex-Legislators have not vacated the Govt accommodation despite having been directed to do so on the basis of the recommendations of the minutes of Designated Committee dated September 2nd, 2024 held under the chairmanship of IGP(Security), J&K.
Advocate S S Ahmed further submitted that undue favour was conferred upon 48 ex-Ministers/ ex-Legislators i.e. 23 in Jammu and 25 in Srinagar and it is unfortunate that categoric directions of apex court were thrown to winds as these occupants enjoyed proximity with the seat of power.
The names of occupants disclosed in status report dated September 11th, 2024 are Zahid Hussain Jan, SS Channi, Abdul Majid Paddar, Zafar Iqbal Manhas, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, Fayaz Ahmed Mir (ex-MP), Abdul Gani Vakil, Hakim Yaseen, Mohd Abbas Wani, A R Rather, Bashir Ahmed Dar, Amin Bhat, Yasir Reshi, M Y Tarigami, Surinder Ambardar, Sajad Lone, Raja Manzoor, Sofi Yousaf, Tariq Hussain Keen, Kavinder Gupta, Sunil Sharma, GM Saroori, Dalip Parihar, Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, Sat Sharma, RS Pathania, family of late Rajesh Gupta, Imran Raza Ansari, Vibodh Gupta, Pardeep Sharma and Neelam Langeh.
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