Petition filed by RLEK for State’s failure to implement HC order on collection of dues from Ex-CMs
The Uttarakhand high court will hear the contempt petition filed against chief secretary Om Prakash on Monday regarding the state government not implementing the high court orders to collect house rent and other dues from former chief ministers. The contempt petition filed by Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) will be taken up for hearing by the single bench of justice Sharad Sharma. In this regard, the reply has been submitted in the court on behalf of the chief secretary.
According to the counsel for RLEK, the contempt petition is listed for hearing on Monday. In the previous hearing of the contempt petition, the high court had directed the chief secretary to submit his response in the court. The reply on behalf of the chief secretary was submitted in the court on September 10. It had been stated in the reply that former chief ministers Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and Vijay Bahuguna had deposited the house rent. A notice had also been served to the wife of the late Narayan Dutt Tiwari. There is no mention of ex CM and current Union Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. When it comes to the electricity and water bills, Koshyari- who is also the current governor of Maharashtra- owes Rs 11 lakh, Bahuguna owes Rs four lakh, Khanduri owes Rs 3.89 lakh, Nishank owes Rs 10.60 lakh while Tiwari owes Rs 21.75 lakh. Further, it has been stated in the reply that the State government had filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the high court’s order dated June 9, 2020. The SLP is noted in the Supreme Court diary. It will be recalled that the said order of the high court had quashed the state government’s ordinance for exempting the former chief ministers from payment of their house rent and other dues.
Sunday, 13 September 2020 | PNS | Nainital
