Should ex-Prez, PM get govt houses, asks SC

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 17

Should former Presidents, Prime Ministers, Governors and Chief Ministers be given government bungalows for accommodation?

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought to know the views of the Centre and states on the suggestions made by senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in a case against such a law in Uttar Pradesh.

In his submission before the top court, Subramanium had on January 4 suggested that the UP law was arbitrary and liable to be struck down. Ministers who demitted office did not require public property. “A large number of bungalows have also been given to trusts,” he had submitted.

Subramanium had said if the court wanted to expand the scope of the PIL, then it will have to hear the states and the Centre.

However, instead of issuing formal notice to the government, a Bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday asked Subramanium to give copies of his suggestions to Attorney General KK Venugopal and Advocates General of states, having laws similar to the one in Uttar Pradesh, which is under challenge. It posted the matter for further hearing on March 13.

The Bench is seized of a PIL filed by Lok Prahari, an NGO, challenging the 2016 amendments to the Uttar Pradesh Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous) Provisions Act, 1981, during the then Akhilesh Singh Yadav government.

The amendment was introduced following the top court’s August 1, 2016, verdict ordering eviction of official bungalows allotted to six former chief ministers of the state in two months after it concluded that the 1997 rules on allotment brought in by the state government were in contravention of the existing UP Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1981.

The UP Government had earlier defended it saying the facility given to former CMs was in line with similar facility given to former Presidents, PMs and Vice Presidents.