New Delhi, Nov. 7: Arjun Singh's widow and former Union ministers Lalu Prasad, Buta Singh and Pawan Bansal are among those occupying government bungalows past their entitlement, the Centre today told the Supreme Court.

As the government provided just nine names and sketchy details, the bench asked solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar to file a fresh and comprehensive affidavit and adjourned the matter for two weeks.

The five others on the list are senior advocate and Rajya Sabha member K.T.S. Tulsi, former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's son P.V. Prabhakar Rao, former Union ministers C.P. Joshi and Harish Rawat, and former MP Agatha Sangma.

All nine have been occupying the bungalows for periods between six months and three years since their entitlement expired, and have been allowed to do so on medical and other personal grounds, the Centre said.

Some 350-odd government bungalows in New Delhi continue to be occupied by VIPs beyond their allotted time amid a grave shortage of official accommodation for those entitled. The apex court turned its attention to the matter following a letter from former comptroller and auditor general Vinod Rai.

The bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice A.K. Sikri is now hearing it.

Meenakshi Arora, the court-appointed amicus curiae (friend of the court), told the bench that a large number of ministers-turned-ordinary-MPs continue to live in their ministerial bungalows on the pretext that they have not been given alternative accommodation. They sometimes overstay for two to three years, she added.

Citing an example, she said that although former Union minister Arjun Singh had died in 2011, his widow continued to occupy his official residence and the government had given her an extension till 2016 on health grounds.

'People who are entitled (to the bungalows) are waiting in the queue. It cannot be said that those who continue to occupy (the bungalows) cannot afford to have alternative private accommodation,' Arora said.

She said the government was allowed to allot five per cent of the houses on grounds of health, security and similar reasons, but it was unclear how many were now occupied under this discretionary quota.

On July 18, the court had sought the Centre's reply after Rai wrote to the then Chief Justice seeking the ouster of several former ministers and ex-bureaucrats whom he accused of staying illegally in official bungalows.

Rai had cited a newspaper report that alleged that at least 22 former Union ministers and retired bureaucrats had been given extensions to reside in government accommodation.

Apart from Lalu Prasad and Bansal, the list included former telecom minister and 2G scam accused A. Raja and former foreign minister S.M. Krishna.