File photo of Delhi High Court.
The Delhi High Court today dismissed pleas of Congress lawmakers, Ambika Soni and Kumari Selja, challenging the Centre's orders to evict them from the type-VIII bungalows in Lutyens' Delhi.
Both former cabinet ministers had alleged, that despite being entitled to the current accommodation by virtue of being members of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament), the Urban Development Ministry and Directorate of Estates acted in "collusion" and is "hounding" them to vacate the premises.
Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said, "Merely for the sake of retaining a house to which they (Ms Soni and Ms Kumari) are not entitled, have attempted to give political overtones to the matter."
The Rajya Sabha Secretariat had told the court that the two lawmakers are eligible for only Type-VII houses, which are a grade lower than Type-VIII bungalows that they are currently occupying.
The Secretariat was in consonance with the Centre's contention that the two lawmakers are ineligible for the bungalows as per the 2006 allotment guidelines.
Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, assisted by central government standing counsel Jasmeet Singh, had told the court that said as per the 2006 allotment guidelines, Type-VIII bungalows are only allotted to a person who was a former Speaker and has been a former Union minister, an ex-governor or a former chief minister, making both Congress leaders ineligible to stay in them.
The government had asked Ms Soni and Ms Kumari, to vacate their official bungalows by June 10, after the rejection of privilege notices sent by the two lawmakers against the eviction orders served on them.
The government had also submitted that four Union ministers currently do not have their entitled, Type-VIII accommodation, and are living in Type-VII flats. Two union ministers, Birender Singh and Ram Shankar Katheria, who have been allotted the bungalows which were currently occupied by the two Congress lawmakers, are still waiting to move in.