SC asks Centre to verify land use by Chandrashekhar's ashram

SC asks Centre to verify land use by Chandrashekhar's ashram
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

New Delhi, March 13: The controversy over alleged illegal use of land by the ashram of former prime minister Chandrashekhar at Bhondsi in Haryana took a new turn today with the Supreme Court directing Union Home Ministry to depute two senior officials to make an on-the-spot assessment.

Hearing a petition filed by B L Wadhera alleging that the land was being used contrary to the conditions imposed in the lease deed, a division Bench comprising Justice K T Thomas and Justice R P Sethi directed the Union Home Secretary to send the officials to Bhondsi to probe the allegations.

The Bench asked the Home Ministry to submit the report of investigation to the court within four weeks and fixed further hearing of the case on April 24.

Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Kirit N Raval submitted that the ashram had encroached on the land belonging to the Border Security Force (BSF) but returned the same to BSF after Wadhera filed the petition in the apex court.

He said the grant of land and the conditions on which the same was given to the ashram were the subject matter of action taken by the State of Haryana and Gram Panchayats of the concerned villages.

Wadhera had alleged that the panchayat land was allotted to Chandrashekhar's Bharat Yatra Kendra on the condition that he would utilise the same for social purposes including running a polytechnic for women and dispensary for villagers.

Wadhera had alleged that the conditions imposed in the lease deed were violated and had sought a direction from the court to the Haryana Government to take back the land.

During the pendency of the petition, Wadhera had moved an application for appointment of a court commissioner or setting up of a team of Central Government officers who could verify the land use at Bhondsi Ashram and tell the court about it.

Counsel for Haryana, Mahavir Singh, today informed the court that pursuant to the notices given by the Government on the land use, the chairman of the Bharat Yatra Kendra Trust had sought an appointment with the authorities, which had been granted.

The authorities have almost completed the proceedings in the notices given to Chandrashekhar's ashram and would soon give its verdict, he said.

After hearing the arguments, the Bench directed the Home Secretary to depute two senior officers to make a report if the land was not being used for the purpose for which it was given.