Srinagar, Oct 17 : Amid statement before it that Home department’s comments were awaited, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has granted government two weeks more time to comply with its orders as regards eviction of former ministers, MLAs, retired, IAS Officers , MLCs and political persons who are still unauthorizedly residing in accommodation of the Estates Department, both at Jammu and Srinagar.
A bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey granted the time after senior Additional Advocate General B. A. Dar sought the same for filing the compliance report in terms of court’s order on September 28.
“Learner Sr AAG sought and is granted permission to place on record the communication received by him from the Directorate of Estate Department, Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, to justify non-filing of updated compliance and grant of further time to file the same.”
Perusal of the communication, the court said, reveals that the Estate Department has taken up the matter with Home Department vide communication on 22 September 2020 and 3 October respectively. “The Estate Department is awaiting for the comments of Home Department, therefore, seeks some more time for filing the updated compliance report,” the court said in the order.
The Sr. AAG, when asked, submitted that three more former legislatures—former speaker Mubarak Gull besides Ashok Khajuria and Ravinder Sharma, former MLAs, have been evicted from the public premises, occupied by them, very recently.
“Two weeks’ further time is granted to respondents to update the compliance and furnish the details of former Ministers/former, MLAs/Retired, IAS Officers / MLCs / Political persons, who are still unauthorizedly residing in Ministerial Bungalows as well as A, B and C-Type accommodation of the Estates Department, both at Jammu as well as at Srinagar,” the court said, adding, “The respondents shall also file details about recovery, outstanding from the authorized and unauthorized occupants.” (GNS)
