Kashmiri Migrants Retiring From Govt Service Not Entitled To Retain Govt Accommodation: Delhi High Court Affirms

The Delhi High Court today upheld an order passed by the Single Judge, denying relief to a Kashmiri migrant who had retired from government service and sought permission to retain the government accommodation allotted to him for a period three years.

The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla observed,

"We are not inclined. It is not that they (government authorities) are discriminating against you (appellant). If we permit this, what happens to other people waiting in queue for govt accommodation? Govt doesn't have unlimited accommodation."

The Bench was hearing an intra-court appeal, preferred against order dated February 16, passed by Justice V Kameswar Rao, dismissing a batch of petitions filed by government servants who are retired Kashmiri Migrants, challenging their eviction from the government quarters in Delhi.

The present appellant, Sushil Kumar Dhar, claimed to be a Kashmiri Migrant. He was appointed as SRO in National Sample Survey Organisation (Field Operation Division) Udhampur, State of Jammu and Kashmir as it then was in the year 1983. He was later transferred to Delhi. He retired from service on March 31, 2020.