Bungalow row: Mulayam, Akhilesh withdraw petitions from SC

Former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday withdrew their petitions from the Supreme Court in connection with the issue of vacating their bungalows.

The lawyer who was appearing on behalf of the father-son asked the Apex Court bench to dispose of their petition as the former chief ministers have already vacated the government bungalows.

The father-son duo, in their plea, had sought appropriate time to vacate their official bungalows allocated by the Uttar Pradesh government.

However, the top court quashed the law passed by the Uttar Pradesh government in 2016, granting permanent residential accommodation to former chief ministers.

While striking down the law, the Supreme Court said that Section 4(3) of Uttar Pradesh ministers (salaries, allowances and miscellaneous provisions) Act, 2016 was unconstitutional.

The law was then challenged by the NGO Lok Prahari in the top court. The petitioner claimed that the Uttar Pradesh government had no power to give bungalows to former chief ministers of the state.

The Apex Court in its earlier order held that they cannot hold their bungalows after demitting office.

Hence, the top court on May 7 passed an order to abolish a law that allowed former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh to stay in government bungalows throughout their lives.

Following this, the estate department had issued notices to six former chief ministers - Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kalyan Singh, Mayawati, Rajnath Singh and Akhilesh Yadav.