Jammu And Kashmir Administration Asks Mehbooba Mufti To Vacate Official Bungalow

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has asked PDP president Mehbooba Mufti to vacate her official bungalow in the high-security Gupkar area here. The former chief minister was served the eviction notice earlier this week.

"The notice to evict from the Fair View was served to me a few days ago. This has not come as a surprise and is along the expected lines," Mehbooba told PTI.

She said although the notice has mentioned that the bungalow where she lives was meant for the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, that is not the case. 

"This place was allowed to my father (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) in December 2005 after he relinquished the office of chief minister. So, the grounds taken by the administration are not correct," she added.

Mehbooba has been living in the Gupkar area since December 2005. Asked if she will challenge the notice in the court of law, the PDP chief said she will consult her legal team.

"I don't own a place where I can live. So, I have to consult my legal team before making a decision," Mehbooba said.

Another former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah vacated the official bungalow in the Gupkar road in 2020 even before the administration issued an eviction notice to him.

The change in entitlements for former chief ministers in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories meant that they could not continue to live in the official residences provided to them in the erstwhile state.

Senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar also had to vacate his Gupkar house after the change in the Constitution. Several politicians, including former ministers, continue to live in government bungalows and houses in Jammu and Kashmir though.

(With PTI Inputs)