HC seeks state govt’s reply over human rights panel’s request for office premises

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has sought a reply from the Maharashtra government after the state human rights commission approached the court with a rather odd request.

The commission, which has been urging the state government for years now to allocate an adequate office space for its day-to-day work, requested the HC that it be permitted to continue operating from its current office space.

The commission’s counsel told HC that while the government, in compliance with a 2016 order of the court, has finally allotted a 6,000 sqft office space in the Cuffe Parade area for its operations, it would like to continue working from its current, small office space near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The reason being that though the state finally allotted the office space, it remained silent on who will pay the whopping monthly rent of Rs 17.4 lakh for the said office premises.

The commission claimed that it could hardly make ends meet from the budget allocation and funds it received from the state.

Therefore, paying such high rentals for the new office space from its own pockets was implausible, it told the court.

The commission also said while it had already written to the government on the issue, it was yet to receive a response.