High Court orders status quo for Bungalow no 8

LUCKNOW: The high court on Tuesday directed the state government to maintain status quo in regard to Bungalow Number 8 situated in Mall Avenue area. MLC, Sunil Singh owns this bungalow and he alleged that the state government and its top officials wanted to acquire the said bungalow illegally.
The order came from the bench of Justice Pradeep Kant and Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi on the petition of Singh.It was feared in the petition that the state government, including cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh and chief minister Mayawati’s principal secretary Shailesh Krishna, were threatening him to vacate the bungalow or else he would be dispossessed forcibly. He also feared that the intention of the said officials was to take over his bungalow to extend the area of chief minister Mayawati’s official residence at Mall Avenue.
The petitioner filed a recorded conversation with Shashank Shekhar Singh and Shailesh Krishna in which they are said to have used threatening language against him.
On Tuesday, chief standing counsel Devendra Upadhyay refuted petitioner’s apprehension that the government willed to take over his bungalow. CSC accepted notice on behalf of Shashank and Shailesh, who are indicated in the petition. The court asked the parties to exchange affidavits in the matter and posted the petition on December 14 for the next hearing.