Move to bill ex-PM for using IAF planes

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, OCT. 19. The Union Government has filed a civil suit in the Delhi High Court for recovery of Rs. 5.92 crores from the former Prime Minister, Mr. Chandra Shekhar, for using Indian Air Force aircraft for private purposes while in office.

The Additional Solicitor-General, Mr. K.K. Sud, conveyed this today to a Division Bench of the High Court comprising Mr. Justice Arun Kumar and Mr. Justice A.K. Sikri.

Mr. Sud told the Bench that suits against two other former Prime Ministers - Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao of the Congress and Mr. H.D. Deve Gowda of the Janata Dal(S) - would be filed by next Tuesday.

Mr. Shekhar owes Rs. 5.92 crores, Mr. Rao Rs. 4.97 crores, and Mr. Gowda Rs. 26.46 lakhs to the Defence Ministry.

The Bench asked Mr. Sud to file an affidavit about the action the Government had initiated for recovery of the dues and adjourned the matter to December 7.

The Bench is seized of a public interest litigation seeking recovery of the dues by Mr. W.B. Wadhera, an advocate.

On a request by the then Additional Solicitor-General, Mr. S.B. Jaisinghani, at the last hearing on July 28, the Bench had granted six weeks to the Government to file suit against the three former Prime Ministers who together owe Rs.11.11 crores to the IAF for using its aircraft for private purposes when they were in office.

Mr. Jaisinghani had told the court that the three former Prime Ministers were served legal notices in May but their replies had not been satisfactory.

In the case of Mr. Rao, the Congress had been maintaining silence after paying Rs. 55 lakhs. The last instalment of Rs. 25 lakhs came on May 30. Since then, the party had not sent any intimation, Mr. Jaisinghani said.

Mr. Shekhar said that he be sent copies of requisitions so that he could send a detailed reply to the notice. He further said that for the present it would suffice to state that he did not admit any of the allegations fastening the liability on him.

Mr. Gowda in his reply said that the liability, if any, had been incurred by the then Janata Dal as he had used IAF aircraft for campaigning on behalf of the party in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in September/October 1996.

On April 28, Mr. Jaisinghani had told the court that the Prime Minister's Office had given a go-ahead to the suggestion to file suit against them.

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