The Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) has rejected a plea challenging the occupation of a government house in Chandigarh by Tej Parkash Singh, son of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
While rejecting the petition, the bench of chief justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and justice Rohit Kapoor observed that the UT administration had taken a “conscious decision” after considering the threat perception and intelligence inputs, and the case was distinguishable from those covered by the Supreme Court (SC)’s directions.
The SC’s general directions against retention of government accommodation by government servants could not be invoked to question the administration’s decision to allow him to continue in the house on security grounds, it added.
The Sector-5 house was originally allotted to the late former CM, assassinated in a suicide bombing in 1995.
Subsequently, it came to be allotted to the family of the late CM. One Kulwant Singh filed an application in HC against continued occupation of the house claiming that the family is still occupying the house even as the allotment was cancelled in 2020. The application was filed in a public interest litigation (PIL) relating to the upkeep of government houses in the city.
Continued threat perception to family
{{/usCountry}}Continued threat perception to family
{{/usCountry}}The court took note of the UT’s affidavit stating the family continued to face security threats. UT’s counsel Abhinav Sood had stated that the house-allotment committee had considered the continued occupation of the house by the family. The court also referred to deliberations of the house-allotment committee in which it was noted that the family continue to remain vulnerable targets of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistani radical elements, gangsters and Pakistan-backed anti-national outfits.
“It is not in dispute that, pursuant to the directions issued by the SC, the Chandigarh administration had initially cancelled the allotment. However, upon receipt of a representation from the occupant and after considering the inputs received from the intelligence agencies, the competent authority reconsidered the matter and arrived at a different conclusion,” it said adding that there is no merit in the application.
Chief engineer asked to explain delay in repairs
The court also asked the chief engineer, UT administration, to file a personal affidavit explaining as to why requisite repairs have not been carried out in government houses allotted to HC employees. The court posted the matter for further hearing on November 6 and directed that the necessary repairs be undertaken on priority basis and that same be intimated to the court.