Bombay High Court puts state on notice over police quarters

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has asked the state government to file in three weeks a reply to a petition seeking to ease Mumbai police officials’ housing crunch.

A division bench of justices Shantanu Kemkar and Makarand Karnik that issued the order on a public interest petition also wanted the state to list the steps to recover the quarters that retired personnel are still occupying.

Police-constable Sunil Toke has sought the court’s intervention to retrieve staff quarters occupied by more than 1,870 retired personnel and make them available to about 2,600 officials on the waitlist.

The petition filed through advocate Pradeep Havnur contends that some retired personnel were still occupying the premises while refusing to pay the rent, licence fee or the stipulated fines. The petition points out that this is resulting in a loss to the government. The petitioner wants the government to take back such premises and allot them to the officials on the waitlist as per seniority.