UP govt. asks 6 ex-CMs to vacate their govt. bungalows
What's the story
On Thursday, the UP government served notices to six former chief ministers of the state to vacate the sprawling government bungalows in Lucknow that they had been occupying. The notices were served in compliance with a recent Supreme Court directive, and the six ex-CMs will have to vacate their respective premises within the next 15 days. Here's more on what the SC said.
Personal
Who are these six former chief ministers?
The six former chief ministers who have been served notices are Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, ND Tiwari, BJP leader Kalyan Singh, and current Home Minister Rajnath Singh. They currently occupy bungalows in Lucknow's high-security VVIP zone.
SC verdict
SC: Statute providing post-term services to ex-CMs unconstitutional
On 7th May 2018, while hearing a petition filed by the NGO, Lok Prahari, the Supreme Court had struck down the amendment to the Uttar Pradesh Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1981, calling it "unconstitutional". The apex court observed that chief ministers are at par with the common man once their term ends, and this providing them lifelong government accommodation was unconstitutional.
Insider news
Notices came a day after Mulayam Singh Yadav met Yogi
The notices come a day after Mulayam Singh Yadav met CM Yogi Adityanath. While official spokespersons called the meeting a courtesy call, sources said that Yadav had discussed about the bungalows allotted to him and his son, Akhilesh. Sources also said that proposals for allotting the two bungalows to the two leaders of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha and the Vidhan Parishad were being considered.