Tej Prakash Singh to Retain Chandigarh Government House Over Terror Threat

In a significant legal ruling affirming state discretion under exceptional threat perceptions, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a petition seeking the eviction of Tej Prakash Singh, son of assassinated former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, from his designated government residence in Chandigarh. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor ruled that the Chandigarh administration arrived at a well-considered and valid administrative decision based on sensitive intelligence inputs and active security evaluations.Special Circumstances Supersede General Eviction MandatesThe Division Bench clarified the constitutional boundary regarding general judicial guidelines on government accommodations:Distinguishing SC Eviction Precedents: The High Court observed that general directives laid down by the Supreme Court were primarily intended to eliminate unauthorized overstaying by retired government servants. Tej Prakash Singh’s retention of government housing belongs to a distinct category governed by extraordinary national security considerations rather than administrative privilege.Administrative Discretion Upheld: The bench declared that in cases involving extraordinary circumstances and credible physical peril, administrative decisions justified by intelligence-driven threat assessments cannot be struck down using routine judicial benchmarks.Severe Threat Assessments and June 6 Housing OrderThe court relied on an exhaustive affidavit and a formal communication issued by the Chandigarh Administration on June 6:Lingering Terrorist Threat: Former Chief Minister Beant Singh was assassinated in a high-profile suicide bombing, and intelligence agencies confirm that his immediate family continues to face persistent terror risks, extremist threats, and hostile digital campaigns across the Punjab and Chandigarh region.Strategic Security of Sector 5 Bungalow: The Joint Security Committee reviewed the accommodation in Sector 5 and declared it strategically fortified and defensible. Relocating the family to a private or alternative setting would compromise their perimeter security, prompting recommendations to augment the existing detail with additional CCTV surveillance.High Court Summons Affidavit on Staff Quarter RepairsIn a related directive arising from the same public interest litigation proceedings, the High Court pulled up civic authorities over the neglect of judicial staff housing:Chief Engineer Directed to File Personal Affidavit: The Division Bench directed the Chief Engineer of the Chandigarh Administration to submit a personal affidavit explaining why essential repairs and structural maintenance of government quarters allotted to High Court employees have remained stalled.Priority Repairs Ordered: The court mandated immediate completion of the repairs on priority, scheduling the compliance hearing for November 26.