Lekha G
Retired Supreme Court Judge Arun Mishra has continued to occupy the bungalow on Akbar Road in Lutyens, Delhi for more than seven months against an entitlement to continue accommodation for not more than a month beyond superannuation.
Rule 4 of Supreme Court Judges Rules 1959, states that, “Each judge shall be entitled without payment of rent to the use of furnished residence throughout his term of office and for a period of one month immediately thereafter, and no charge shall fall on the judge personally in respect of maintenance of such residence. This concession shall also be admissible to members of the family of a judge, who dies while in service, for a period of one month immediately after his death”.
Owing to unavoidable circumstances, Ex-SC judge Arun Mishra has continued to occupy the bungalow.
A source close to Justice Mishra has said, “There has been a series of deaths in his extended family. The judge’s brother-in-law died a day after his (Justice Mishra) retirement on September 2 last year and then four more deaths of close relatives followed one after the other, keeping the judge out of station till January. After he weathered the bereavements, his immediate family members, including wife and mother-in-law, got infected with Covid-19”.
Justice Mishra has requested Supreme Court to extend his stay till April 30 but the Supreme court has not responded to it. Justices who retired immediately before or after Justice Mishra have all vacated their bungalows.
