Uttarakhand HC issues notice in application to recover Rs. 13 crore dues from ex Chief Ministers

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday issued notice in an application seeking the recovery of more than Rs 13 crore spent by former Chief Ministers of the State after they demitted office..The application filed by NGO Rural Litigation Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) sought a direction to the State government to recover the money spent on travel, vehicle maintenance, fuel, salary and honorarium to staff, electricity dues, and telephone dues, among others, by six former Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand. Otherwise, the public and the government exchequer will suffer irreparable loss and injury, the application contends..The High Court had passed an order in February 2017 in the main petition filed by RLEK in 2010, directing the State government to calculate the market rent for use and occupation of the premises, beyond the period of entitlement, in order to recover the same from the former Chief Ministers..The application claims that State government officials are in connivance with the former Chief Ministers and have violated the February 2017 order by failing to calculate the market rent of the properties..“…despite repeated orders of this Hon’ble Court the state government has failed to comply them and failed to calculate market rent and calculation of the illegal expenses done on the former chief ministers only because of the reason that the state and its officers are sympathetic and are in harmony with the private respondents.”.This week, the Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Ramesh Chandra Khulbe directed the Advocate General of the State to comply with the February 2017 order, and to calculate the market rent of the bungalows in which the ex-Chief Ministers were staying in. The Court has given the Chief Ministers four weeks to reply..RLEK has also set out the amount of expenses owed by each of the six former Chief Ministers. The total amount adds up to Rs.13,03,34,160. The application states,.“…abovementioned amount was spent by the respondent no 1 illegally without there being any law of any kind authorizing such expenditure on the former Chief Ministers of the state only in the private and parochial interest of the private respondents. It is humbly prayed that this Hon’ble Court may direct the state authorities to recover this public money from the private respondents.”.RLEK was represented by advocate Kartikey Hari Gupta. The matter will be taken up again after the winter vacations..Read the application: