Sixteen former union ministers from the UPA government have been given new orders to immediately vacate government homes in Delhi. The pool consists of politicians who are no longer members of the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha.
The group includes Ajit Singh, Kapil Sibal and Farooq Abdullah.
The new eviction orders come after a one-month grace period to move out of their homes expired on July 26. Some of the ex-ministers like Mr Sibal have reportedly explained that they have already moved out of the government bungalows and are trying to complete paperwork that will establish they have returned the homes.
The fresh eviction order was cleared by a quasi-judicial authority which heard from the former ministers or their lawyers.
A few days ago, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu had informed parliament that the ministers together owe a penalty of 21 lakhs for unauthorized stay.
