Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 7: In a petition filed by Chairman JKNPP and former Minister Harsh Dev Singh seeking quashment of eviction notice issued by the Estates Department, High Court today issued notices to Advisor to Governor and Estates Department for filing objections and in the meanwhile ordered status quo.
When the petition came up for hearing, Advocate Abhinav Sharma submitted that the petitioner remained Member of Legislative Assembly for 18 years from 1996 to 2014 and was a Cabinet Minister in the State Government during 2002-2005.
“The petitioner was allotted a Government accommodation situated at 6-A Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. Moreover, the petitioner is a State Awardee and Vide Government Order No. 1291-GAD- of 2004 dated:- 22.09.2004 regulation 4(e) of the Jammu and Kashmir Estates Department (Allotment of Government Accommodation) Regulation 2004 was amended and 5% discretionary quota was placed at the disposal of the Minister Incharge Estates to allot accommodations to various persons including State Awardees”, the counsel for the petitioner submitted.
“The Chief Minister was the Minister Incharge of the Estates Department as such the petitioner filed a representation before her stating there in that the petitioner was State Awardee and was not having any residence in Jammu city or anywhere else in the Jammu district and was therefore entitled to Government accommodation. The representation of the petitioner has not been decided till date and without deciding the representation impugned eviction notice has been issued against the petitioner”, Advocate Sharma further submitted.
After hearing Advocate Abhinav Sharma, Justice Sanjay Kumar Gupta issued notice to Advisor to Governor looking after the affairs of Estates Department, Commissioner Secretary Estate Department, Director Estate Department and Deputy Director Estate for filing objections within 10 weeks and ordered that in the meanwhile status-quo shall be maintained.
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