Govt wants Bhatia replaced in land allotment committee

The state government on Tuesday proposed five names to the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court imploring it to replace former bureaucrat-turned-crusader Arun Bhatia with someone from the list for heading a one-man court-appointed committee.

The committee has been set up to probe into the allotment of surplus land under the Urban Land Ceiling Act to politically influential persons.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government had moved an application before the high court detailing its objections to Bhatia's appointment and challenging it on the grounds that the former bureaucrat held a grudge against the state government.

In an interesting twist of events, Bhatia challenged the state's objections, getting senior counsel and former advocate general V R Manohar to represent him.

Appearing on behalf of Bhatia, Manohar questioned the very maintainability of the application moved by the government and described the appointment of Bhatia as "sui generis". He lashed out at the government. Pointing out that the senior bureaucrat had been appointed by the high court, he said Bhatia should not be publically humiliated.

He noted that Bhatia had an impeccable track record and that his honesty had also been acknowledged by the Supreme Court. Manohar said that Bhatia was only being asked to act as an instrument of the high court which was not relinquishing its control over the probe. The report of the one-man committee too is to be submitted to the high court.

The senior counsel also suggested the appointment of two more members on the committee, making it a three-member inquiry committee for assisting the court.

The state proposed the names of K Nalinakashan, additonal chief secretary, Jayant Deshpande, former secretary (housing department), Sudhakar Joshi, former Pune divisional commissioner, Arvind Reddy, former commissioner of sugars, and B N Zamre, former Nagpur Municipal Commissioner, for heading the one-man committee in place of Bhatia.

Appearing on behalf on the government, Bharati Dangre forwarded the list to the division bench comprising of Justice R M S Khandeparkar and Justice S R Dongaonkar.

The high court sought the government's response and was informed that Advocate General Ravi Kadam would appear in court on Friday. The high court then asked government pleader Arun Chaudhari to seek instructions on application filed by Bhatia and proposal to enlarge the one-member committee by including two more members.

The high court while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Sunil Shinde on June 7 had asked Bhatia to examine allotment of lands under ULC on a case"�to-case basis and find out whether they were given in accordance with the law and for the purpose for which such lands can be given.

The government had, after two weeks, moved an application opposing the appointment of Bhatia as head of the committee and charged him as anti-government, biased against those in the government, and a politician.

Last Wednesday the high court had indicated that since Bhatia had contested elections and was involved in political activities at some point of time, it would be better if he himself withdraws.

However, in his application Bhatia refused to withdraw his name stating that such an act would be one of cowardice and extremely unfair, humiliating and prejudicial to his track-record.