The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the Estates Department to submit a status report on two politicians—former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and former J&K BJP President Ravinder Raina—regarding their continued occupation of government accommodation. The directive was issued by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M.A. Chowdhary during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL No. 17/2020) that seeks the eviction of overstaying ex-ministers, ex-legislators, and politicians from official residences.
During the hearing, Senior Additional Advocate General (Sr. AAG) S.S. Nanda, representing the Estates Department, informed the court that only three politicians remain in government accommodation. One of them, former MLC Ravinder Sharma, has challenged his eviction in a separate writ petition, where the court has granted a stay on his removal.
Nanda also stated that the J&K government’s Designated Committee is set to review the matter of allotments and sought three weeks to file an updated report on Azad and Raina’s status.
However, the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate S.S. Ahmed, along with Advocate Rahul Raina, argued that the continued occupation of government residences by these two politicians violates the court’s earlier rulings. They emphasized that security concerns and official accommodation should be treated separately, citing a precedent set by the Delhi High Court in Subramanian Swamy’s case. Ahmed pointed out that previous governments had evicted two former Chief Ministers and over 180 politicians, arguing that the same principle should be applied in this case.
After hearing both sides, the Division Bench ordered the Estates Department to file a detailed status report on the two politicians by the next hearing date. Recognizing the case’s significance, the court scheduled the next hearing for April 23, 2025. [KNT]
