Source: outlookindia.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nainital, Sept 13 The Uttarakhand High Court Thursday began hearing a petition challenging an ordinance that exempted politicians from paying the market rent for government bungalows allocated to them as ex-chief ministers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya promulgated the ordinance exempting former chief ministers from paying the high rent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ordinance came as relief to former chief ministers — Bhagat Singh Koshyari, late N D Tiwari, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and Vijay Bahuguna — who were required to shell out a total of Rs 13 crore to the state government as per an Uttrakhand High Court order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arguing on behalf of the petitioner, an NGO run by social activist Avdhash Kaushal, its counsel termed the ordinance unconstitutional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the PIL heard by Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma, he said the ordinance was promulgated with the sole purpose of overruling the high court judgement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This kind of legislative power is not available to the legislature. They cannot pass a law just to overrule the judgment of the court,” lawyer Kartikeya Hari Gupta argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The PIL has been posted for further hearing on Monday, Gupta said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uttarakhand Governor gave her assent last week to the ordinance approved by the state cabinet in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state cabinet”s decision had followed a high court order that declared the allotment of government accommodation to former chief ministers “illegal” and asked them to vacate the bungalows within six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were asked to pay the higher rent for the entire period they had occupied the bungalows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avdhash Kaushal had filed the PIL which led to that order. COR ALM ASH ASH<\/p>\n