By IANS
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Tuesday ordered the Orissa government to suspend 48 officials and lodge criminal cases against them for unauthorised occupation of government accommodations in the state beyond the stipulated period.
A bench of Justice B.N. Agarwal and Justice P.P Naolekar issued the stern order while cracking the whip against the unauthorised occupants of government bungalows and other accommodations throughout the country, including politicians and bureaucrats of various categories.
The bench ordered the Orissa government to prosecute the bureaucrats on charges of trespassing.
As the court ordered suspension and prosecution of government officials, senior counsel Ranjit Kumar, appointed as the amicus curiae to assist the court in this matter, told the bench that several of the 48 officers have already retired and therefore could not be suspended.
At this, the bench asked the government to invoke pension rules of the Orissa government to charge penal rents from them for overstaying in the government bungalows.
Meanwhile, the bench also took up the issue of similar unauthorised occupation of government accommodation in Karnataka.
It asked Karnataka government counsel Sanjay Hegde to file an elaborate affidavit on the issue, detailing what action the state government was taking to evict the unauthorised occupants.
In its affidavit, the Karnataka government had said that there were a total of 79 unauthorised occupants in the state, mostly nurses. On the court's directions, Hegde assured the court that he would file "better affidavits."
While dealing with the issue of overstaying in government accommodation in the national capital, the apex court had enlarged the ambit to include the issue of overstaying in other states as well.
Apex court cracks whip on illegal occupation of government flats
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) The Supreme Court Tuesday ordered the Orissa government to suspend 48 officials and lodge criminal cases against them for unauthorised occupation of government accommodations in the state beyond the stipulated period.
A bench of Justice B.N. Agarwal and Justice P.P Naolekar issued the stern order while cracking the whip against the unauthorised occupants of government bungalows and other accommodations throughout the country, including politicians and bureaucrats of various categories.
The bench ordered the Orissa government to prosecute the bureaucrats on charges of trespassing.
As the court ordered suspension and prosecution of government officials, senior counsel Ranjit Kumar, appointed as the amicus curiae to assist the court in this matter, told the bench that several of the 48 officers have already retired and therefore could not be suspended.
At this, the bench asked the government to invoke pension rules of the Orissa government to charge penal rents from them for overstaying in the government bungalows.
Meanwhile, the bench also took up the issue of similar unauthorised occupation of government accommodation in Karnataka.
It asked Karnataka government counsel Sanjay Hegde to file an elaborate affidavit on the issue, detailing what action the state government was taking to evict the unauthorised occupants.
In its affidavit, the Karnataka government had said that there were a total of 79 unauthorised occupants in the state, mostly nurses. On the court's directions, Hegde assured the court that he would file "better affidavits."
While dealing with the issue of overstaying in government accommodation in the national capital, the apex court had enlarged the ambit to include the issue of overstaying in other states as well.