DB directs Sr. AAG to furnish list of 48 occupants having own houses

Eviction of ex-ministers, legislators from ministerial bungalows

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: A Division Bench of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh at Jammu (virtual Mode) comprising Chief Justice N. Kotiswar Singh and Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi has directed Senior AAG S. S. Nanda appearing for Estates Department and Government of J&K to furnish the list of the persons/ex-legislators who have their own houses either in Jammu or in Kashmir as earlier directed by the Division Bench vide its order September 13, 2023.
These directions were passed in the much-publicized PIL wherein the petitioner has sought eviction of former Legislators/Ex-Ministers overstaying in the Ministerial Bungalows both at Jammu and Srinagar.
When this PIL came up for hearing, Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocate Supriya Chouhan appearing for the petitioner submitted that he has already filed the list of 48 occupants/ex-legislators before the Court as per the previous orders of the Court on September 19, 2023 and the said list has also been provided to Senior AAG S.S. Nanda appearing for Estates Department. Advocate Ahmed further submitted that in the list filed by him on September 19, 2023 he has mentioned the properties/residential houses owned/possessed by these occupants.
Advocate S.S. Ahmed further submitted that Estates Department has already written to the 48 occupants requiring them to disclose about their personal houses owned/possessed by them either at Jammu or in Kashmir and in this regard three days time was given to them. Advocate Ahmed further submitted that Estates Department is deliberately and intentionally delaying the matter which is of wide public importance and because of the delay, the illegal action of overstaying is getting perpetuated.
At this stage, Sr. AAG S. S. Nanda submitted that he may be allowed some more time to furnish the list as the Estates Department is verifying the matter with regard to the list furnished by Advocate Ahmed and before the next date the needful shall be done. Needless to mention herein that Advocate S.S. Ahmed on September 19, 2023 filed the complete details of the residential houses owned/possessed by the 48 Politicians in Jammu/Kashmir and their names are: Ghulam Nabi Azad (Former CM), Shamsher Singh Manhas (Ex-MP), Muzaffar Hussain Beigh (Ex-MP), Chander Mohan Gupta (Former Mayor, JMC), Kavinder Gupta (Former Deputy Chief Minister), Sunil Sharma (Former Minister), Ravinder Raina (State President, BJP), G.M. Saroori (Ex-MLA), Neelam Langeh (Ex-MLA), Daleep Singh Parihar (Ex-MLA), Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar (Ex-MLA), Bali Bhagat (Former Minister), Sat Sharma (Former Minister), R.S. Pathania (Ex-MLA), Family of Late Rajesh Gupta (Ex-MLA), Molvi Imran Raza Ansari (Former Minister), Ravinder Sharma (Ex-MLC/Spokesperson JKPCC), Vibodh Gupta (Ex-MLC), Pardeep Sharma(Ex-MLC), Tariq Ahmed Keen (Political Person), Wazira Begum (Political Person), Shilpi Verma (Political Person), Shafiq Mir (Chairman, Panchayat Conference), Hakeem Mohammad Yasin (Ex-MLA), Sajjad Gani Lone (Ex-MLA), M.Y. Tarigami (Ex-MLA), Abdul Rahim Rather (Ex-MLA), Sofi Yousuf (Ex-MLC), Abdul Majid Padder (Ex-MLA), Zafar Iqbal Manhas (Ex-MLC), Nizam-u-Din Bhat (Ex-Vice Chairperson), Fayaz Ahmed Mir (Ex-MP), Abdul Gani Vakil (Ex-MLC), Surinder Ambardar (Ex-MLC), Sona Ullah Lone (Political Person), Zahid Hussain Jan (District President, Congress), S.S. Channi (Political Person), Raja Manzoor (Ex-MLA), Muzaffar Shah (General Secretary, Awami National Conference), Bashir Ahmed Dar (Ex-MLA), Vikram Randhawa (Ex-MLC) (BJP Office), Haji Ab Rashid (Ex-MLA), Yasir Reshi (Ex-MLC), Abdul Rahim Rather (Ex-MLA, JKPDP), Mohammad Amin Bhat (Ex-MLA), Shoaib Nabi Lone (Ex-MLA) and Mohammad Abbas Wani (Ex-MLA).
After considering the rival contentions, the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice N. Kotiswar Singh directed Sr. AAG S.S. Nanda to furnish the list as directed by the Court on the last date of hearing September 19, 2023.
At this stage Advocate Muzaffar Khan appearing in CM No.4083/2023 submitted that former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather has already vacated the Govt. accommodation since March, 2023 but his name still finds mention the list of 48 occupants and his name is required to be deleted from the said list. The Division Bench directed Sr. AAG S.S. Nanda that he shall clarify in this regard on the next date of hearing.