Payal Abdullah, the estranged wife of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, was on Friday asked by the Delhi High Court to gracefully move out of the government bungalow at 7, Akbar Road where she has been living since 1999 with her two sons from her marriage with the J&K National Conference leader.
A bench of Justice Indermeet Kaur asked Ms. Abdullah’s counsel if she would gracefully vacate the bungalow or the court shall pass an order, adding that every person who retires has to vacate government accommodation. Ms. Abdullah, however, opted that the court shall pass an order.
Ms. Abdullah and her two sons, Zamir and Zahir, had moved the Delhi High Court on July 12, seeking protection from “illegal eviction” from the residence and had claimed threat to their lives if they moved out of the bungalow with tight security arrangements and 94 security personnel.
The High Court had then granted them interim protection from eviction, leaving it to the appropriate lower court to decide her application challenging the eviction order.
Friday’s development comes after a Patiala House Court on August 16 directed her to vacate the bungalow. The Centre has told the High Court that the Delhi Police would provide adequate security to Ms. Abdullah and her sons at their private accommodation.
Threat perception
It said there was a “general threat perception” from Kashmiri militants for being the family member of Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, but the threat quotient was not as high in Delhi as in Kashmir.
On Ms. Abdullah claiming government accommodation on parity with Priyanka Gandhi, Subramanian Swamy on security grounds, the Centre said accommodation on such is provided only to Special Protection Group (SPG) protectees.
In November, 2015, the estate officer of the J&K government issued a letter asking her to vacate the premises. She said she requested the estate officer to send all letters to Omar Abdullah, believing he would “at least see that his sons are secured and there is no threat to their life”.
On a show-cause notice issued in January this year, Mr. Abdullah informed the estate officer that since he was no longer in occupation of the said premises, they were free to take whatever steps necessary to take over the premises.
Ms. Abdullah took the legal recourse after making representation before the Prime Minister and J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in June, citing threat to their lives if evicted from the bungalow, which has now been allotted to the State government by the Ministry of Urban Development retrospectively from August 11, 2009.
Security concerns
Ms. Abdullah had claimed that she is a Z security protectee, while her sons are Z plus security protectees and if they are evicted from the present accommodation, they would be forced to live at their private property, a 2,300 sq. ft. flat at Westend here, and adequate security arrangement was not possible in such a location.
She had claimed that being the wife and sons of Omar Abdullah and daughter-in-law and grandsons of Late Sheikh Abdullah, who have been subject to life attacks from various terrorist groups and separatists, they were provided security and face constant threat with Kashmir being in the grip of insurgency.
Ms. Abdullah had also said her children could not join their father in Srinagar due to the turbulent law and order situation there, owing to which it was decided between her and Mr. Abdullah that their children be raised in Delhi.