New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on September 10 asked the Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL) general manager, Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) chairman and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) chairperson to explain what effective steps had been taken to recover from defaulting politicians and political parties outstanding phone, hotel, water and electricity bills running into crores of Rupees.

The direction came from a Division Bench of Chief Justice B C Patel and Justice A K Sikri on a public interest litigation (PIL) by Krishak Bharat seeking direction to the agencies to take immediate action to recover of the dues.

The Bench, which perused separate lists of defaulters filed by the three respondents, gave them liberty to take all possible action in the matter and posted the matter for further hearing on November 12.

"They (the defaulters) should not forget that the money due from them is public money. All citizens should be treated equally," the Bench observed.

Earlier, MTNL counsel Dinesh Agnani informed the court that out of total 49.46 lakh due from political parties, 49 lakh was to be recovered from Congress and its affiliates.

Rs 9.47 crore was due from 617 ex-Members of Parliament (MPs), while an amount of Rs 2.20 crore was due from 83 sitting MPs, Agnani submitted.

Agnani told the court that MTNL had written for recovery of the dues to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, but it expressed its inability to act in the matter.

According to Lok Sabha rules, the Secretariat can deduct such dues from a member's salary, allowances and pension, Agnani told the Bench.

PTI