New Delhi: The Delhi High Court yesterday directed MTNL and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to give fresh details about the telephone, water and electricity dues liable from sitting and former MPs to the Secretariat of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha so that appropriate action could be taken against them under law.
After a brief hearing, a Bench comprising Chief Justice B C Patel and Justice B D Ahmed posted the matter for further hearing on April 28.
During the hearing, MTNL counsel told the Bench that till date Rs 1.25 crore has been recovered from defaulting MPs and between the last date of hearing (April 7) and yesterday, Rs 8 lakh has been recovered.
A Public Interest Litigation was filed by NGO Krishak Bharat in 1998 seeking direction to the state agencies to recover dues on telephone, water and electricity bills from the defaulting sitting and former parliamentarians.
Earlier, MTNL counsel had requested the court to direct Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariats to deduct the arrears of phone bills from the defaulting former MPs pension as per rules.
The counsel had submitted that the only way to recover about Rs 3-4 crore due from over 200 former MPs was to deduct the money from their pension.
The state had asked the state-owned telecom major to resort to disconnection to recover crores of rupees due from over 650 sitting and former MPs.
In December last, NDMC had disconnected electricity supply to residences of 13 MPs of various political parties for their failure to clear dues running into lakhs of rupees despite repeated reminders and notices. <
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