The high court on Friday admitted the public interest litigation (PIL) against state housing minister Gautam Deb allotting flats without legal sanctity to the list of his most favoured.
Deb, who is also the chairman of HIDCO, had reportedly allotted flats under his discretionary quota. The high court’s division bench comprising of chief justice JN Patel and justice Ashim Kumar Roy admitted the PIL on Friday and directed the state respondents to file an affidavit in opposition within a week after the summer vacation. The case has been listed for hearing on June 17.
Timir Chakraborty filed a writ petition in a PIL after getting the information under the Right to Information Act of the West Bengal Housing Board that the chairman’s discretionary quota was created in respect of one or two urban housing complex. There is no chairman’s discretionary quota under the provisions of law under the West Bengal Housing Board Act of 1972.
Hindustan Times reported on the matter on April 15 after getting a copy of the RTI reply. According to documents available with HT, Deb allotted
flats on February 23, 25 and even March 1, the day when Election Commission announced poll dates.
Through a press note issued after the high court admitted the PIL on Friday, Timir Chakraborty informed that through the RTI reply it was also informed that the chairman has indiscriminately used his alleged ‘quota’ in spite of the fact that there was no government order or sanction.
The petitioner in the press note also said that Deb's indiscriminate abuse of position and power (as chairman of housing board) has left the deserving applicants from being allotted flats. He has arbitrarily allotted flats only to favour his favoured persons, including his party cadres.
The petitioner in the press note also said that Deb's indiscriminate abuse of position and power (as chairman of housing board) has left the deserving applicants from being allotted flats. He has arbitrarily allotted flats only to favour his favoured persons, including his party cadres.