Tejashwi Yadav removes his name plate, starts vacating bungalow after SC order

PATNA: Five days after the Supreme Court's rap, leader of opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday began vacating the controversial bungalow at 5, Deshratna Marg, in the new capital area here.

Tejashwi not only removed his party RJD's poster and banners from the main entrance gate of the bungalow but also withdrew his name plate, fixed at the entrance gate. The RJD leader also removed all security guards from the bungalow this afternoon, eye witnesses said.

Younger son of RJD president Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi was allotted the bungalow after November 2015 when he was appointed deputy chief minister of the then 'Grand Alliance' government headed by Nitish Kumar. The 5, Desh Ratna Marg bungalow, is located at a stone's throw away from the chief minister's official bungalow at 1, Anney Marg.

Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed Tejashwi's petition, challenging a Patna high court's order asking him to vacate the bungalow meant for the deputy chief minister. The apex court also imposed Rs 50,000 fine on him for wasting "judicial time."

The Supreme Court, in its observation and order, did not find any flaw with the two orders passed by the single judge and the division bench of the Patna high court dismissing the pleas of the former deputy CM against the state government's decision asking Lalu's son Tejashwi to vacate the bungalow for his successor and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi.

Earlier the Patna high court had asked RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is the leader of opposition in Bihar assembly, to swap bungalow with the present deputy CM Sushil Modi. "What is this luxury of litigation? Precious judicial time has been wasted," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi observed when Tejashwi's counsel senior advocate AM Singhvi tried to establish that the post of a cabinet minister and that of the leader of opposition in the Bihar government was at par in the rank and protocol.

Earlier on January 7, a division bench of the Patna high court had rejected Tejashwi's plea challenging a single judge order on October 6, 2018 turning down his petition against the state government's direction. "The petitioner has been allotted a bungalow, matching his status as a minister in the government, at 1, Polo Road, in the state capital. He cannot raise complaint on the decision so taken, only because the present bungalow is more suited to him," the single-judge order of the Patna high court had said.