Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to clarify the rationale behind allotment of big bungalows to four MLAs- Shivpal Singh Yadav, Ashish Patel, Pankaj Singh and Neeraj Vora.
Yadav is the head of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) and brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav, while Patel is the MLC and husband of Anupriya Patel, head of Apna Dal (A), a BJP ally. Pankaj Singh, the son of Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and Vora are BJP lawmakers.
A bench of Justice PK Jaiswal and Justice Alok Mathur then directed the government to file a counter affidavit within two weeks, warning it to stick to the deadline. The earlier two week deadline was not met.
A public interest litigation filed by Motilal Yadav before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had challenged the allotment of type-6 high-category bungalows, claiming that the allotment rules framed in 2016 didn't allow it.
Yadav was allotted the bungalow vacated by Bahaujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati last year. Patel was allotted the bungalow earlier occupied by former UP Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari.
