Patna: A local court in Bihar on Tuesday struck down a government legislation which allowed former chief ministers to occupy government bungalows for lifetime without any financial limits.

A bench of the Patna high court comprising chief justice AP Shahi and justice Anjana Mishra passed the order, terming the lifetime accommodation to former chief ministers as “unconstitutional” and “misuse” of hard-earned public money.

The order will adversely impact former chief ministers like Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad, wife Rabri Devi, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Jagannath Mishra and Satish Prasad Singh. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar too was reportedly in possession of a palatial bungalow in the capacity of being a former chief minister after he resigned in May 2015 owing responsibility for his party’s disastrous performance in 2014 Lok Sabha polls when his party could win only two seats out of 40 it had contested.

While the RJD leaders refused to react, former chief minister Manjhi expressed annoyance over the order. “Court’s ruling means the former chief ministers who don’t own their own homes will have to stay in rented house which are not secure from security point of view,” Manjhi told the media today.

The court’s order comes barely a month after it had issued notices to the state government and former chief ministers, seeking reply within four weeks as to why Bihar Special Security Group (Amendment) Act, 2010 granting free lifetime accommodation to them be not cancelled in the light of SC judgement. The court had issued notices to them after taking suo motu cognisance of the special legislation while hearing an appeal filed by former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.

“Earlier there was a provision in Uttar Pradesh of accommodating former state chief ministers but the Supreme Court rejected it. Acting on the same Supreme Court’s order, the Patna high court has also rejected same facility being availed by former Bihar chief ministers,” Bihar advocate general Lalit Kishore told the media on Tuesday.

Reports said although the facility for lifetime government bungalows was meant for former chief ministers, the present chief minister Kumar too was availing this facility. Under the law passed in 2010, government bungalows were allotted to six politicians for being former chief ministers. They included Nitish Kumar who was allotted 7, Circular Road bungalow, Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi were allotted one bungalow at 10, Circular Road, Jagannath Mishra at 41, Kranti Marg, Jitan Ram Manjhi at 12, M Stand Road and Satish Prasad Singh at 33/A Hardinge Road.

The court came to know about the entire story of the former chief ministers availing lifetime bungalows while it was hearing a case involving allotment of a bungalow to former deputy chief minister Tejashwi after he refused to vacate it despite repeated orders by the state government.

It was during hearing of this case that the Tejashwi’s lawyer told the court how the chief minister and his men have been in illegal possessions of many government bungalows while he was being told to vacate it. The court though ordered Tejahswi to vacate his bungalow but it took suo motu cognisance of the case relating to lifetime allotment of government accommodations to former chief ministers.

Earlier, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi, now the deputy chief minister in the ruling Nitish Kumar government, too had questioned Kumar over the bungalow issue while his party was in the opposition.

“Despite pursuing dynastic politics, Lalu Prasad has been staying in a bungalow with his wife (former chief minister) and two minister-sons but why do you need two bungalows although you have been against dynastic politics and stay with your lone son only,” was how Modi wrote in his letter to the chief minister in June 2016 while Kumar was heading the Grad Alliance government in Bihar and the BJP was in the opposition. RJD chief Prasad’s both sons were ministers in the Grand Alliance government then.