HC FOR PROPERTY CAP ON JUDGES

The Bombay High Court on Thursday opined that bureaucrats and judicial officers, who have at least one property in Maharashtra, should not be allotted another one under any government scheme.

A division bench headed by Justice B R Gavai was hearing a public interest litigation filed by activist Ketan Tirodkar, which has questioned the state government's decision to construct a high-rise residential building in suburban Oshiwara for sitting high court judges.

Tirodkar argued that apart from the sitting judges, the government also allots flats to those judges who retire from the Bombay High Court or those judges, who were earlier posted in the state and were later promoted to the Supreme Court.

After hearing the brief arguments, Justice Gavai said, "We feel that if a judge or a senior bureaucrat already has a house in the city or state, then he or she should not opt for another house under any government scheme. What is the need?"

The bench directed Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhkoni to take up the issue with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday itself, and posted the petition for hearing on Friday.

According to Tirodkar's petition, in August 2015, the government had sanctioned a housing scheme for the serving judges on a 32,300 sq ft public plot in Oshiwara, following a request made in this regard by the proposed cooperative housing society of the judges.

While the construction is yet to be carried out, the government has offered 84 homes, each of 1,076 square feet, on ownership basis, to the judicial officers.

While the government has sanctioned the membership of 39 judges so far, two serving judges have since surrendered their claim.