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The Allahabad High Court has directed Keshav Prasad Maurya, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to file a counter affidavit in reply to the allegations leveled against him in an illegal house occupation matter.

In the writ petition filed by one Vishnu Murti Tripathi, serious allegations of malafide have been made against Maurya. The petitioner had alleged that Maurya has got a long criminal history and it was with Maurya’s support that the private respondent is trying to grab his house.

A division bench comprising Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Om Prakash Tripathi has also directed the state government to file its reply in response to the averments made in the writ petition. The matter has now been posted for January 10, 2022 for the next hearing.

In Tripathi’s plea, it had been alleged that he had bought a house in Kalindipuram, Allahabad but later on, he was forcefully dispossessed by the intervention of the State machinery, and a woman named Kunti Devi was given possession.

Tripathi had further asserted that this occupation is completely illegal and has been done on the behest of Deputy CM Maurya. Tripathi also submitted that he has all the documents related to the ownership of the house which has been forcibly given to someone else.

During the course of hearing on an earlier date, Tripathi had produced a communication sent by Muarya to Senior Superintendent of Police, Allahabad, wherein it was mentioned that Kunti Devi had requested for possession of the house on basis of a certain enquiry report and Maurya had directed the Senior Superintendent of Police to take necessary steps and inform him accordingly.

Tripathi had further alleged that thereafter, with oblique motives, he was implicated in a false case and a First Information Report was also lodged against him. Tripathi had also apprised the court that he had made several complaints in this respect to various authorities but no heed had been paid to the same, which forced him to come to the high court for his grievance redressal. 

Issuing notice to Maurya and State- respondents after the latest hearing in the matter, the court noted that despite court's previous orders, no counter affidavit had been filed by the State-respondents though there were serious allegations against the Deputy CM. 

Case Title: Vishnu Murti Tripathi v. State Of U.P. and Others