SC issues notice to unauthorised occupants of govt bungalows

New Delhi,Aug 30(UNI) The Supreme Court today issued notices to about 1000 unauthorised occupants of government bungalows and quarters in UP and Bihar including former and present ministers, MPs, MLAs, bureaucrats,judicial officers, police officers and other government departments directing them to show cause why they should not be evicted forthwith.

A bench comprising Justices BN Aggarwal, PP Naolekar and Lokeshwar Singh Panta also directed the two states to file affidavit within four weeks giving details of the rules under which many of unauthorised occupants have been reallotted or regularised in the same bunglows and also to provide details of those who have been alloted the vacated govt quarters and their entitlement to these quarters.

The court also issued notices to six judicial officers of UP including five additional district judges and one civil judge,to be served through Registrar General of Allahabad High Court .

Regarding judicial officers, the Court said "it is the misfortune of the country that for the eviction of judicial officers the state government has to initiate proceedings under the Public Premises Act.

These officers are contesting like veteran litigants instead of vacating their apartments gracefully.The Allahabad High Court Registrar General shall ensure service of notices to the judicial officers and the High Court shall also consider as to whether disciplinary proceedings can be initiated against these judicial officers after suspending them immediately." The judicial officers are PK Agnihotri, Additional District Judge who is occupying the governmentt quarter illegally for the last 15 years, Satish Kumar Pandey, ADJ Rampur , Mrs Meena Yadav, ADJ Sitapur, P Kumar, Dist Judge, Badayun, Jagdish Prasad Additional Civil Judge Maharajgunj.Mr AK Singh died in April this year.

Other unauthorised occupants of governmentt quarters include 544 from police department,135 legislators, and over 300 governmentt officers.

The Court had earlier issued notices to all states and union territories to give details of all those who are occupying government quarters illegally.

The list of unauthorised occupants also includes 71 persons including social workers,journalists and NGOs.

All these illegal occupants are in Patna and Lucknow.The court shall take up tommorow the states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.

UNI AKS/SC SP RP DS1430