HC seeks list of double allottees of flats from CM's quota

The Bombay High Court asked the Maharashtra government today to furnish a list of those who have been allotted houses from Chief Minister's discretionary quota for more than once or to other members of their family.
A bench headed by Justice P V Hardas asked the State and Urban Development Department to provide such a list by September 20 and adjourned a PIL until then, filed by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar, challenging multiple or double allotment of flats.
Prosecutor Aruna Pai said that two similar matters were pending before the High Court and urged that this PIL may be tagged along with them and heard together.

However, Tirodkar objected to the clubbing of petitions saying he did not want his criminal PIL to be heard along with two other civil matters, although the subject matters are more or less similar.
The petitioner said that he had only prayed for the list of double or multiple allottees of flats from the CM's quota which should be furnished by the Maharshtra state government to the court.
Tirodkar, who argued in person, said that earlier, while hearing his PIL, another bench of the High Court had ordered the government to provide such a list, but the order was not complied with by the state authorities.

The petitioner alleged that there were several cases where a second allotment was made to the same allottee or to the allottees' spouses or their family members.
The PIL alleged that politicians and journalists were main beneficiaries of such allotments and that "resourceful" people were allotted flats at concessional rates from the Chief Minister's discretionary quota while the needy and common people are ignored.