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Journalism of Courage
The Delhi High Court Thursday directed former Union ministers Ambika Soni and Kumari Selja to vacate the Type VIII bungalows allotted to them during the UPA rule and to pay Rs 25,000 as costs to the Directorate of Estates.
Dismissing the pleas filed by the two Rajya Sabha MPs against eviction orders issued by the Directorate of Estates, Justice R S Endlaw also pulled up the two Congress leaders for “giving political overtones” to the issue.
“The petitioners in their capacity as former Union ministers and current members of Rajya Sabha, are entitled to Type VII accommodation and not Type VIII accommodation. Notwithstanding the same, the petitioners, just when the general elections were being held, got allotted to themselves accommodations which were beyond their entitlement,” said the court.
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It said it was “constrained to observe that the allotment of prime houses at that stage, when the possibility of the political party of which the petitioners are members ceasing to be the ruling party, was on the anvil, is highly suspect.”
“I am also sad to note that the petitioners, merely for the sake of retaining a house to which they are not entitled, have attempted to give political overtones to the matter,” it added.
The two former ministers in their plea had alleged that they were entitled to Type VIII bungalows but the BJP government was “denying” them the accommodation.
Coming down strongly on the petitioners, the court held that the representatives of people could not take a stand violating the rules and regulations.
