Supreme Court verdict on housing to hit Rajasthan ex-CMs too

Former chief ministers and ministers in Rajasthan will also feel the impact of Supreme Court ruling on accommodations. Several of them including former chief ministers Ashok Gehlot and Jagannath Pahadia, former minister Golma Devi and family of former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat continue to occupy bungalow in posh Civil Lines area in Jaipur. A Bench headed by Justice Anil R. Dave on Monday said that former chief ministers are not entitled to occupy government accommodation for lifetime while asking them to vacate within two to three months.

In Rajasthan too, rules were especially framed to facilitate post-retirement benefits for chief ministers irrespective of for how long one occupied the post. Just like UP, former chief ministers in Rajasthan too did not have special privileges earlier but during former chief minister Gehlot’s first tenure 1998-2003, he came up with this idea and suitable provisions were made to implement it.

Under the new arrangement, a former chief minister who is given cabinet minister’s rank is entitled to have a bungalow of his choice or opt for cash in form of monthly rental instead.