SC strikes down UP legislation allowing former CMs to retain government accommodation
07 May 2018
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The Supreme Court on Monday struck down an Uttar Pradesh legislation that allowed former chief ministers to retain their government accommodation after demitting office.
The apex court bench, acting on a plea by Lok Prahari, an NGO, described the 2016 amendment of the state legislature, describing it as unconstitutional, arbitrary, discriminatory and violating the concept of equality.
The Akhilesh Yadav government had in 2016, in a bid to overcome a Supreme Court ruling, passed legislation to allow former chief ministers to continue occupying government bungalows indefinitely.
The court had then directed six former chief ministers, including union home minister Rajnath Singh and Samajwadi Party chief (and Akhilesh’s father) Mulayam Singh, to vacate their bungalows within two months.
Other top political leaders who had been affected by the order included BSP chief Mayawati and Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh
The court ruled that once a person demits public office, there was nothing to distinguish that person from the common citizen.
