Ramesh Pokhriyal had gone to the High Court to request that the rental fees be reviewed.
Highlight
- High Court has suspended contempt action against Ramesh Pokhriyal
- He was asked to pay market rent for his government bunglow
- The Uttarakhand Court has declared free housing for former CM illegal
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today suspended a contempt action against Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank for failing to pay rent for his government bungalow in Uttarakhand, where former chief ministers enjoyed lifetime benefits until last year a Superior Court order.
Pokhriyal had challenged the Uttarakhand High Court order asking former chief ministers of the state to pay rent at market rates for the government bungalows they occupy.
A bank headed by Judge Rohinton F. Nariman also sent a notice to the Uttarakhand government.
In May last year, the Uttarakhand High Court declared the state government’s orders on free housing and other lifetime facilities for former chief ministers illegal and unconstitutional.
Former chief ministers, including Mr. Pokhriyal, were asked to pay their rent at market prices, amounting to Rs 2.8 million, within six months.
They were also told that they had to pay various expenses worth Rs 13 crore, which included water, electricity and telephone bills and money spent on travel, fuel and salary of staff members.
Mr. Pokhriyal had gone to the High Court to request that the rent installments be reviewed, as he was unable to pay.
Apart from him, the other top ministers who were asked to pay the market rent were ND Tiwari (who died in 2018), Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, BC Khanduri and Vijay Bahuguna.
When the former chief ministers did not pay their fees within the deadline, the Superior Court initiated a process for contempt.
In August, the High Court issued Proof of Cause notices to three former Chief Ministers, including Mr. Pokhriyal and Mr. Koshyari, now Governor of Maharashtra.
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