J&K High Court Grants Final Chance To Estates Dept To File Status Report In Plea Seeking Eviction Of Ex-Ministers From Govt Accommodation
In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the unauthorised occupation of government accommodations by former ministers and politicians, The Jammu & Kashmir Highcourt has given the Estates Department a final opportunity to submit a comprehensive status report by July.A Bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal expressed serious concern over repeated non-compliance...
In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the unauthorised occupation of government accommodations by former ministers and politicians, The Jammu & Kashmir Highcourt has given the Estates Department a final opportunity to submit a comprehensive status report by July.
A Bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal expressed serious concern over repeated non-compliance with its earlier directions, including the order dated March 26, 2025.
The court warned that if the department fails to submit the report, the Chairman of the Designated Committee must appear in person or via video conference at the next hearing.
The counsel for petitioner flagged continued unlawful occupation of government bungalows by political figures, including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ravinder Raina. He submitted that despite repeated directions, the Designated Committee failed to review such cases, allowing influential individuals to remain in occupation at the cost of public resources.
He further cited rulings of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, including the Subramanian Swamy case, to argue that security concerns do not entitle former public servants to retain government housing once they demit office.
In response to the court's remarks, Senior Additional Advocate General, representing the Estates Department, sought a final opportunity to comply with the court's earlier directive. The Bench allowed the request, but firmly noted that no further extensions would be entertained.
APPEARANCE
S S Ahmed, Advocate, Rahul Raina, Supriya Chouhan, Adnan Mushtaq & Mohd. Asif, Advocates For Petitioner
S S Nanda, Sr. AAG, Advocate For Respondents
Case-Title: Prof. S.K. Bhalla vs UT of J&K, 2025