The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Accommodation: court seeks report

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Tuesday, Sep 26, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Accommodation: court seeks report

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: After the Supreme Court, it is now the turn of the Karnataka High Court to look into the issue of occupation of government accommodation by former Ministers and others even after they have demitted office.

The Supreme Court had passed directions to the Centre on the continued occupation of government accommodation by VIPs and others long after their tenure had expired. A similar petition had come up before the High Court here with the petitioner questioning the continued occupation by a former Minister of government accommodation leading to denial of official quarters to the newly appointed Lokayukta, N. Santosh Hegde.

In his public interest litigation (PIL) petition, Krishna Bhat, a resident of Bangalore, said the former Minister Roshan Baig continued to occupy official accommodation though he was not a Minister from 2004. He said Mr. Baig was continuing to stay in House No. 94, 9th Cross, RMV Extension, Sadashivanagar, though he had his own house in Fraser Town.

He said the State was unable to provide official accommodation to the Lokayukta as Mr. Baig continued to be in illegal occupation of the government accommodation. He said several other Ministers and chairmen of boards and corporations continued to live in Government accommodation even after they had ceased to hold office. He sought a direction to the State to furnish a list of such residential premises which continued to be illegally occupied. A Division Bench comprising the Chief Justice, Cyriac Joseph, and Justice Ajit Gunjal directed the State Government to furnish within three weeks a list of government (residential) premises allotted to persons holding public offices and which have not been vacated by them even after they had demitted office.

It asked the Government advocate to also file a report.

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