Appointment of RERA chief and 2 members: Plan to relocate RERA office delayed notification, Himachal tells HC
The Himachal government, through an affidavit, on Thursday informed the high court that delay in the notification for appointment of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) chairperson as well as two members was due to government's plan to relocate RERA office in Shimla to another location.
The state government filed an affidavit through under secretary (housing) by Vikram Datt Dangwal in the high court on Thursday. 'The matter is under consideration on account of state government's ongoing deliberation regarding proposed relocation of HP RERA office within Shimla city to another location. The final decision on the appointment is likely to align with outcome of the administrative consideration,' said the state government through the affidavit.
High court on May 9 had sought affidavit from state government asking 'Specific reason that the state has withheld the recommendations of the selection committee.'
Denying any kind of 'intentional or undue' delay, the government said that the final authority regarding appointment is state government. The recommendation of selection committee were forwarded to state government through housing minister on March 20.
Unconvinced by the reasons regarding delay in issue of the notification the HC had sought a fresh affidavit. The case is now listed for May 26.
The high court on Thursday was hearing the petition filed by Atul Sharma, seeking quashing of extension given to Prabodh Saxena as chief secretary of the state government on the ground that it was given in clear violation of the Central Services Rules and guidelines of Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT). The petition argued that vigilance clearance cannot be granted to an officer who is an accused in a corruption case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
Bombay Lawyers Association seeks CJI's sanction to prosecute Allahabad HC Judge Justice Varma under corruption charges
New Delhi, June 3 (UNI) The Bombay Lawyers Association (BLA) has submitted a formal request to Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai seeking permission to initiate criminal proceedings against Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court, in relation to an alleged recovery of unaccounted cash from his official residence earlier this year. In its representation dated June 2, the Association has requested the CJI's sanction for registration of a First Information Report (FIR) under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The letter, signed by BLA President Advocate Ahmed Abdi and Secretary Advocate Eknath R Dhokale, asserts that there is credible material, comprising video footage and photographic evidence, indicating the commission of a cognizable offence. It states, 'The applicant seeks your Lordship's approval for registration of an FIR against Justice Yashwant Varma under applicable provisions of anti-corruption law, in light of the alleged seizure of unaccounted cash from his government residence.' The letter invokes the principle of equality before the law, asserting that the judiciary, too, must be subject to legal accountability. The BLA has pointed out that despite the reported severity of the incident, no formal FIR has yet been filed, nor has there been any official seizure memo or panchnama. The Association has drawn attention to the landmark constitutional judgment in K Veeraswami versus Union of India (1991), where a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held that judges are considered 'public servants' under the Prevention of Corruption Act and can be prosecuted with prior sanction from the Chief Justice of India. Citing procedural inaction and risk of evidence tampering, the BLA has urged the CJI to take prompt steps to secure and preserve all material evidence, including partially burnt currency notes, videos, and photographs of the location in question. The Association has also asked that either the Delhi Police or the Central Bureau of Investigation be directed to act on the matter. The letter adds, 'Delay in initiating proceedings risks compromising key evidence. The absence of a seizure report, FIR, or panchnama raises serious concerns about transparency in the ongoing inquiry.' The BLA has further requested access to the report of the in-house inquiry committee that was constituted following the incident. The developments stem from an incident on March 14, 2025, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma's official government residence at 30, Tughlak Road, New Delhi. At that time, Justice Varma was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court. During firefighting operations, emergency services allegedly found approximately Rs 15 crore in partially burnt cash. In response, then-CJI Justice Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member in-house inquiry committee on March 22, consisting of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu (Punjab & Haryana High Court), Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia (Himachal Pradesh High Court) and Justice Anu Sivaraman (Karnataka High Court) The committee submitted its findings to the CJI on May 3, reportedly holding Justice Varma culpable. A press release issued by the Supreme Court on May 8 confirmed that both the committee's report and Justice Varma's written response dated May 6 had been forwarded to the President and Prime Minister for further action. Justice Varma was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court on March 28 and relieved of all judicial duties pending the inquiry's conclusion. Earlier, a petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking immediate registration of an FIR was dismissed on May 21, with the bench holding that the plea was premature. However, the petitioners were allowed to approach the appropriate authorities. The matter now awaits the CJI's decision on the BLA's request for prosecution sanction. UNI SNG SS
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Supervisor arrested for demanding 6k bribe
Indore: Lokayukta police on Tuesday arrested a supervisor for demanding a bribe of Rs 6,000 from a self-help group providing food in Anganwadi for releasing a payment in Kukshi of Dhar district. Lokayukta officials said that the complainant, Sushila Baghel, wife of Gangaram Baghel, is the director of the Radhakrishna Self-Help Group based in village Bhamori, tehsil Kukshi, district Dhar. She ran the self-help group for the past six years. The group is responsible for preparing and distributing mid-day meals for children at the Anganwadi centres. For this, the govt allocates Rs 9,000 per month to the group, which is disbursed by the Women and Child Development Department. In her complaint, she claimed that the accused, Pushpa Benal, 55, who serves as a supervisor and holds the additional charge of Project Officer in the Women and Child Development Department, Bagh, demanded a bribe of Rs 6,000 in exchange for releasing the payment for March and April 2025, and for facilitating the payment for May. Following this, the complainant approached SP Rajesh Sahay in Indore. Upon verification, the complaint was found to be true. A trap team was then formed, and on Tuesday, the Lokayukta team caught Pushpa Benal red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 from the complainant. Legal action under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act was taken against the accused.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Rs 2,000cr liquor scam: High court declares arrest of accused illegal
Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has declared the arrest of Anwar Dhebar, accused in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Rs 2,000 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam, as 'illegal'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In its order passed on May 30, the court noted that Dhebar's arrest memo did not contain any column for the ground of the arrest of the petitioner and he neither was informed about the grounds of arrest, nor reasons for arrest. Allowing a writ petition filed by Anwar Dhebar, a division bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Madan Pal Singh granted him bail in the FIR lodged against him at Kasna police station of GB Nagar in 2023. The court sent this judgment to the office of the director general of police (DGP), UP, directing him to get it circulated among all the police personnel of the state of Uttar Pradesh. "We are getting this circulation done as a technical error in many of the arrests is resulting in the declaration of the arrests as illegal", the court added. According to this FIR, M/s Prizm Holography Security Films Pvt Ltd, a company based in Site-5, UPSIDC, Greater Noida, was allegedly granted a tender illegally by the Chhattisgarh Excise Department in 2019 to supply holograms meant to ensure liquor authenticity. However, in connivance with top state officials, the firm supplied duplicate holograms, facilitating the sale of illicit country liquor from state-run shops. Senior IAS and ITS officers named in the case included Arunpati Tripathi (Special Secretary, Excise), Niranjan Das (Excise Commissioner), and Anil Tuteja. Also named are Anwar Dhebar, brother of the then Raipur mayor, and Vidhu Gupta, managing director of Prizm Holography. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The FIR claimed that holograms, both original and duplicate, were manufactured at the Noida facility. Almost 11 months later, on June 18, 2024, Dhebar, who had been granted bail by the Chhattisgarh high court at 9.20 PM in a separate case was arrested immediately by the Uttar Pradesh Police just 20 minutes later in Raipur itself. Following the arrest, the UP investigation officer (IO) applied for a transit remand under Section 167 of the CrPC before the Magistrate at Raipur, which was granted for 48 hours. Subsequently, on June 21, 2024, Dhebar was produced before the Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act), Meerut, who remanded him in judicial custody till July 1, 2024. This happened despite the petitioner having specifically objected to the arrest, arguing that it was in violation of Articles 19(1) and 22(1) of the Constitution of India, as well as section 50 of the CrPC, which mandates communication of the grounds of arrest, Dhebar's lawyer said. He then moved the high court, seeking a declaration that his arrest was illegal and void, and further prayed for the quashing of all subsequent remand orders. On the other hand, the additional advocate general for the state submitted that since there was a memo of arrest and the son of the petitioner had been informed about the arrest, it could not be said to be illegal, as the reasons were known to the petitioners. The court observed that the arrest memo did not contain any column stating the reason for arrest. Furthermore, no opportunity of hearing was given to the petitioner to oppose the custodial remand. Thus, the court concluded 'with some certainty' that the petitioner was never furnished with the grounds of arrest, as mandated under Section 50 CrPC (now Section 47 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita). Thus, the court declared arrests illegal, however, it refused to interfere with the charge-sheet, which has been submitted. The court clarified that the court may continue with the proceedings in accordance with law as per the charge-sheet.
