logo
Samajwadi Party misused power to occupy office space for Rs 115: SC

Samajwadi Party misused power to occupy office space for Rs 115: SC

News184 days ago
Agency:
New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday rapped the Samajwadi Party for 'fraudulently occupying" office space for a paltry Rs 115 in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit, underlining a 'clear misuse of political power".
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi told senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the political party, that it was not a case of fraudulent allotment but a case of 'fraudulent occupation using muscle power and misusing power".
The top court was acting on the party's plea against Nagarpalika Parishad of Pilibhit's eviction order.
Dave argued despite paying rent for the office space, the municipal authorities were adamant to evict his client.
He said a suit seeking injunction on the eviction order had been filed.
'You are a political party. You misused official position and political power to occupy the space. When action comes, you start remembering everything. Have you ever heard of office space in a municipal area for Rs 115 rent. This is a clear case of abuse of power," the bench noted.
When Dave pressed for protection from eviction for six weeks, the bench said, 'Right now, you are an unauthorised occupant. These are not fraudulent allotments but fraudulent occupations." Dave claimed the party was being singled out by the authorities.
'It will be better if you file a writ petition before the high court and bring to the court's notice any such fraudulent allotment or occupation. We will be welcoming this step," the bench said.
Refusing to examine the plea, the bench did not express any opinion on the petitioner's suit in the civil court which it said should be decided at the earliest.
The party was challenging the July 2 order of the Allahabad High Court refusing to hear the plea.
On June 16, the top court dismissed a similar plea moved by the party's Pilibhit district president against the high court order restraining him from filing a fresh petition on the issue of eviction order for local party office.
The top court granted liberty to the party to move the high court against the decision of the civic body.
The apex court pointed out a 998-day delay in filing the appeal against the December 1, 2020 order of the high court on the plea of one Anand Singh Yadav who claimed to be the party's district president.
The party had claimed that the civic body ordered it to vacate the premises on November 12, 2020 without offering it the opportunity to be heard. PTI MNL MNL AMK AMK
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments
First Published:
July 21, 2025, 18:45 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Officers working with ex-VP Jagdeep Dhankhar sent to parent cadre
Officers working with ex-VP Jagdeep Dhankhar sent to parent cadre

Hindustan Times

time24 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Officers working with ex-VP Jagdeep Dhankhar sent to parent cadre

Three days after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned, his secretariat was closed down and a large number of government officers working with him repatriated to their parent cadre, two officials told HT on Thursday. But no room in the Vice Presidential enclave has been sealed off, they added. The newly constructed VP enclave has a separate wing for its secretariat. One by one, the officers have left and it has been locked. (PTI) At the enclave, 'hardly a few government officers are remaining and they too are waiting for the orders to go back to their parent cadre,' said an official, aware of the development, asking not to be named. The newly constructed VP enclave has a separate wing for its secretariat. One by one, the officers have left and it has been locked. 'The keys were handed over to the two under-secretaries,' said a second official, requesting anonymity. Also Read | Centre reached out to VP hours before he quit Dhankhar's secretary, an officer of special duty, and the principal private secretary– all three are IAS officers– have left office. 'It is nothing unusual as their appointment at the VP office was co-terminus with Dhankhar's tenure. Usually, officials are given 15 days time to wrap up their work and report to their parent cadre. Some officials are still there but soon, they too will go,' said a government functionary. The former VP is now allowed to have five personal staff, whose salary is paid from the government exchequer, and a Type VIII bungalow or its equivalent anywhere in India. Also Read | Why did Jagdeep Dhankhar quit? Buzz links an Oppn-backed notice against judge Dhankhar, the first occupant of the palatial VP enclave, has a month to pack up his belongings and leave. According to functionaries, the former VP started packing after he submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu late on Monday evening. While its a standard rule that officers will be repatriated to the parent cadre after a minister of a constitutional authority demits office, the speed at which the officers left the enclave and the secretariat was closed down only serves to amplify theories floating around since his sudden exit that suggest that his relationship with the government had increasingly become strained. Dhankhar, 74, cited health grounds after suddenly resigning on Monday, after presiding over the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He was sworn in as the VP on 11 August 2022, succeeding M Venkaiah Naidu. Also Read | Vice President Dhankar's resignation caught staff off guard; MPs question abrupt move In his resignation letter to President Murmu, Dhankar said, 'To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution.' HT reported on the fissures between Dhankhar and the government over the latter's decision to admit an Opposition-sponsored notice for impeachment of justice Yashwant Varma in the Rajya Sabha even as a notice signed by a wide range of parties, was brought in the Lok Sabha. Three senior leaders said since his resignation, he has not given an appointment to political leaders who were keen to meet him. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) veteran Sharad Pawar and some Aam Aadmi Party leaders were among the lawmakers who wanted to meet Dhankhar, they added.

From The Hindu, July 25, 1975: Water allowance for ICF staff suggested
From The Hindu, July 25, 1975: Water allowance for ICF staff suggested

The Hindu

time24 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

From The Hindu, July 25, 1975: Water allowance for ICF staff suggested

New Delhi, July 24: The Committee on petitions of the Rajya Sabha has suggested grant of 'water allowance' to the employees of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Madras, in view of the expenses they had to incur in procuring water for their daily use. In its 48th report presented to the House to-day, the Committee said the quantum of water allowance to be granted might be decided by the Government in a 'sympathetic and realistic manner.' The Committee also recommended that the Government should ensure that adequate water supply was maintained in the factory area where employees had to work for long hours. The Government should take some long-term measures in the light of the present experience to ensure that the hardship caused by water scarcity in future might be minimised to the extent possible, the Committee said. A petition signed by more than 2,000 ICF employees was presented to the Rajya Sabha on May 9 by Mr. Subramanian Swamy (JS) requesting that in view of the drought conditions prevailing in Tamil Nadu and lack of drinking water, an interest-free loan of Rs. 1,000 be granted to each employee so that new wells were dug and the existing ones deepened.

SC moots fast-track courts for criminal trials in Delhi-NCR
SC moots fast-track courts for criminal trials in Delhi-NCR

Hindustan Times

time24 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

SC moots fast-track courts for criminal trials in Delhi-NCR

The Supreme Court on Thursday mooted the creation of fast-track courts in Delhi to expedite trials in cases lodged against 'professional' gangsters and directed both the Delhi government and the Centre to formulate a concrete proposal in this regard within four weeks. At the core of the court's concern was to nip the possibility of such persons securing bail and unleashing a spectre of violence. (HT Archive) The court passed the order after being informed by the Delhi Police, in an affidavit, that 288 cases against gangsters and criminal gangs operating in Delhi are pending trial. Only 108 cases have reached the stage of framing of charges. The affidavit also indicated that by any rate, it will take three to four years for a case to move from framing of charges to prosecution evidence being taken up. So far, only 25% of cases have reached the prosecution evidence stage, the first step of trial, it said. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi found the delay impeding the right of the accused to a speedy trial. At the same time, the bench raised a larger issue about such gangsters securing bail on the grounds of prolonged trials. Even the security of witnesses gets compromised in these situations, the bench added. The court said, 'This week, we read an instance where a witness was murdered. Who is going to depose against gangsters? What is the protective cover that you give them? They are your eyes and ears. If you don't protect them, public confidence in the criminal justice system gets affected and rule of law gets absolutely impaired in the eyes of the common man.' At the core of the court's concern was to nip the possibility of such persons securing bail and unleashing a spectre of violence. The bench said, 'What is happening in the geographical belt of Delhi near to Haryana... They commit crime there and come to Delhi. Just yesterday, a man who committed a murder in Panipat was arrested from Ghaziabad. Society needs to get rid of these gangsters. They must be dealt with ruthlessly. We should not have any misplaced sympathy for them.' While the Delhi Police suggested the court set up dedicated court complexes within jail premises for trial of such hardened criminals, the court said that the issue needs to be dealt with holistically, as such courts will require adequate judicial manpower, support staff and infrastructure. The bench said, 'While the Delhi High Court will not have any objection to providing speedy trial by establishing dedicated courts, this can only happen provided that the Union government and the state of Delhi resolve to introduce a mechanism like fast-track courts (FTC) for trial of these cases.' Making Centre a party to the proceedings, the court said, 'Keeping in mind the pendency of 288 cases against gangsters, there will have to be appropriate strength of courts to ensure cases can be equitably distributed and trial can be held on day-to-day basis.... If such a decision is taken by appropriate authority, it seems to us that all pending trials can be brought to an end.' The court asked additional solicitor general (ASG) SD Sanjay, appearing for the Delhi Police, to also appear for the Centre and give effect to the order. The court agreed to pass subsequent directions for expediting the hearing of such cases once a resolution is adopted by the Centre and the Delhi government. The matter will next be heard after four weeks. The court made the observations while hearing a bail petition filed by one Mahesh Khatri alias Bholi, who is facing 55 criminal cases, many of which are heinous offences. In February, the court refused him bail but expanded the scope of the petition by asking the Delhi Police to specify whether a mechanism could be introduced for a speedy trial in cases concerning gangsters. The Delhi Police affidavit, filed in response to this order, noted that while multiple factors lead to delayed trials, the primary reason was that courts hearing cases against such gangsters facing charges under the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) handle other routine matters and are burdened with multiple sensitive matters involving the IPC, economic offences and money laundering, among others. ASG Sanjay said that, considering these aspects, the Delhi Police urged the court to set up dedicated court complexes on jail premises. This would not only expedite cases against gangsters but prevent them from getting bail. At the same time, it will enable better safety for witnesses and accused persons and will reduce the opportunity available for such criminals to generate reels and other social media content glamourising their lives, something that is observed when members of gangs are transported from jails to court complexes, it said. The ASG assured the court that a joint meeting of the Centre and the Delhi government will be held to resolve the issue.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store