Ex-cms not entitled for govt accommodation for lifetime: sc

The Supreme Court on Monday held that former Chief Ministers are not entitled for government accommodation for lifetime. A bench headed by Justice Anil R Dave, which pronounced its verdict

on a 2004 plea, said that any such government accommodation should be vacated within two to three months. "They don't have the right to occupy government accommodation for

lifetime," the bench also comprising justices U U Lalit and L Nageswara Rao said. The judgment came on a plea filed by a UP-based NGO Lok Prahari, which had sought a direction against

allotment of government bungalows to ex-CMs and other "non-eligible" organisations. The NGO had alleged that despite the direction of Allahabad High Court, the UP government had

framed ex-Chief Minister's Residence Allotment Rules, 1997 (non-statutory) for allotting bungalows to successive ex-chief ministers. The NGO had also contended that the rules framed in

1997 for allotment of government bungalows to ex-chief ministers were unconstitutional and illegal, and those occupying them were allegedly unauthorised occupants under the purview of the UP

Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act. The petitioner also said that retention of government accommodation by chief ministers after demitting office was against the

Provisions of UP Ministers (Salaries/allowances and other facilities) Act. The judgment on the plea was reserved on November 27, 2014.