Azad & Raina’s fate awaits Competent Authority’s Decision, Designated Committee submits its Report
Diplomat Correspondent
Jammu:DD, In a major development in the much-publicized Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 17/2020) seeking eviction of overstaying Ex-Ministers/Ex-Legislators from the Govt. Accommodations, the Estates Department in its latest Status Report dated April 21st, 2025 filed before the High Court pursuant to the directions dated March 26th, 2025 of the Division Bench of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh at Jammu comprising then Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan(since Retired) and Justice M. A. Chowdhary has disclosed that the Estates Department has placed the cases of former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Former President, BJP(J&K) Ravinder Raina before the Designated Committee in its meeting held on February 28th, 2025 for making suitable recommendations regarding continuation or otherwise of their Govt. Residential accommodations.
In the Status Report filed through Sr. AAG S.S. Nanda, it is further submitted that the minutes of the deliberations of the Designated Committee have been submitted to the ‘Competent Authority’ for consideration and appropriate orders and the decision thereon is awaited.
On the last date of hearing i.e. March, 26th, 2025 it was brought to the notice of the Division Bench by Sr. AAG S.S. Nanda, that the instant PIL may be closed as the Govt. accommodations have been retrieved from the politicians and there is no purpose to keep the same alive. However, Advocate S.S. Ahmed appearing for the petitioner had submitted before the Division Bench that certain ‘high-profile’ politicians including former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Former President BJP J&K Ravinder Raina are still occupying the Govt. accommodations and there cannot be two laws in one UT where almost two hundred (200) politicians have been evicted so far from Govt. accommodations including Former Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah, Former MP-Ch. Lal Singh, Former Education Minister Harsh Dev Singh, Former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta, Foromer Ministers Sat Sharma, Bali Bhagat, Sukhnandan Choudhary, Priya Sethi and many others.
Advocate S.S. Ahmed had also drawn the attention of the Division Bench towards Order dated December 26th, 2022 passed by the Division Bench in CM Nos. 7467/2022 & 7468/2022 in WP(C) PIL No. 17/2020 filed by former MP Ch. Lal Singh wherein the Division Bench then comprising Chief Justice (Acting) Tashi Rabstan (since Retired) and Justice Rajesh Sekhri while dismissing the application of Ch. Lal Singh held that security assessment and entitlement to Govt. accommodation are two different issues and cannot be intermingled to defeat the process of law and Division Bench had also imposed a cost of Rs. 25000/- upon Ch. Lal Singh to be deposited in the Advocates’ Welfare Fund.
The Division Bench while taking note of the submissions of Advocate S.S. Ahmed had recorded the submission of Sr. AAG S.S. Nanda, that the Designated Committee is likely to review the matter within three weeks with regard to two politicians namely Ghulam Nabi Azad Former Chief Minister and Ravinder Raina former President BJP J&K.
The instant PIL is coming up for consideration before the Division Bench on May 27th, 2025 when the latest status report of the Estates Department is likely to be considered.DD
