K'taka, Orissa must take action against illegal occupants: SC

New Delhi, July 24 (UNI) The Supreme Court today pulled up the State Governments of Karnataka and Orissa for not acting firmly against the unauthorised occupants of the government quarters and told the two state governments to immediately arrest and suspend from service those who are not vacating the government accomodations.

A bench comprising Justices B N Agarawal and P P Naolekar directed the State of Karnataka to file a detailed affidavit within six weeks, giving details of the action taken against the illegal occupants of the government accomodations, both to seek eviction of illegal occupants as well as recover charges of overstaying from them. In Karnataka there are 71 unauthorised occupants.

Earlier, amicus curiae Senior Counsel Ranjeet Kumar told the Court that some of the illegal occupants have been staying in government flats for over the last 20 years, without paying rent.

In some cases these occupants have been living in the government quarters since 1981, while some since 1988.

The Court also directed the Orissa Government to immediately suspend the 48 illegal occupants of the government accomodation and also directed for registration of criminal cases against them under Section 441, IPC (Criminal Tresspass). The Court ordered the State Government to take immediate action against the 66 illegal occupants to recover dues from them as arrears of land revenue, including penal charges.

The total number of 66 illegal occupants in Orissa include, politicians and top bureaucrats like Shambhunath Naik, who is an MLA.

The Court adjourned the hearing of the Karnataka and Orissa cases till September 18.

However, the situation with regard to the Union Territory of Chandigarh was, by and large, found to be satisfactory.

UNI