SC agrees to hear plea of Maha Guv against HC's show-cause notice for contempt

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a plea of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari against issuance of a show cause notice by the Uttarakhand High Court on a petition seeking contempt proceedings against him for his alleged failure to pay rent for a government bungalow allocated to him as ex chief minister of the state. A bench of justices R F Nariman, K M Joseph and Krishna Murari issued notice to the Uttarakhand government and tagged the matter along with the pending petitions on the issue.

The counsel appearing for the State government accepted the notice. On October 26, the top court had stayed contempt proceedings initiated against Union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal for alleged non-compliance of the Uttarakhand HC's last year order on payment of rent by former chief ministers of the state for occupying government accommodation.

Koshyari contended in his plea that he is the sitting Governor of Maharashtra and referred to Article 361 of the Constitution which provides protection to President and Governors from invoking any such proceedings.

The plea said the amount of market rent has been arrived at without any rational and is highly exorbitant for residential premises in Dehradun and have not been ascertained without affording an opportunity to hear him.