SC directs govt to recover rent from politicians

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to recover a whopping Rs 50 crore house rent arrears from a section of privileged occupants of spacious bungalows and flats in the heart of the Capital.

As the government submitted details of defaulters that included former external affairs Minister Jaswant Singh (Rs 18 lakh) and UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh, besides three senior functionaries of the Congress (amounting to Rs 1.5 crore) and a battery of journalists, the judges asked it about steps it had taken to recover the arrears.

The government affidavit doesn't disclose the names of the Congress functionaries. A Bench of Justices B N Agrawal and P P Naolekar expressed its anguish.

"What steps are you taking? You tell us. You are regularising without recovering the dues," judges told Additional Solicitor General Amarendra Saran.

Senior lawyer Ranjit Kumar, who is assisting the court in this matter, had earlier pointed out that over Rs 50 crore was to be recovered in the form of market rent from 'unauthorised occupants' and the government was not doing anything to recover the dues as the defaulters include former ministers, MPs, MLAs and top bureaucrats.