Ex-Revenue Minister challenges demolition notice

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 14: Former Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla today filed a writ petition in the State High Court challenging the demolition notice issued by Jammu Municipal Corporation.
He has also challenged the orders passed by the J&K Special Tribunal on December 30, 2015 and January 12, 2016 whereby the J&K Special Tribunal had kept in abeyance the status quo order earlier passed on December 22, 2015 and had directed the parties to seek clarification from the J&K High Court where directions had been issued on December 3, 2015 to the Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation to take action warranted under law in regard to alleged major violations resorted to by Raman Bhalla in construction of his residential house at Deeli.
In the petition filed through Advocates Abhinav Sharma and Tarun Sharma, Raman Bhalla has contended that he applied for grant of sanction for raising construction which was approved vide order No.848/BS/2011 dated November, 30, 2011 and pursuant to the approval granted by JMC, he completed his construction work in the year 2013 itself.
He has further averred that Prof S K Bhalla who had nothing to do with the construction so raised being a resident of another locality. Bhalla has further stated that pursuant to the court order dated December 3, 2015 the Jammu Municipal Corporation issued a final demolition notice under Section 7(3) of Control of Building Operation Act, 1988 whereby petitioner was directed to demolish the construction raised in violation of the approved plan within five days.
The petitioner has further alleged that he preferred an appeal under Section 13 of Control of Building Operations Act, 1988 before J&K Special Tribunal and on December 22, 2015 an order of status quo was passed and the matter was fixed on January 19, 2016. It is further contended that Prof Bhalla who was not a party in the appeal had moved a caveat and accordingly the Registry of the Tribunal brought the information of the caveat into the notice of Member Judicial J&K Special Tribunal, Jammu and without preponing the date kept the order of status quo in abeyance vide order dated December, 30, 2015.
Subsequently the J&K Special Tribunal on January 4, 2016 and January 12, 2016 deferred the matter for seeking clarification from the State High Court.

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