Delhi HC seeks Centre’s reply on allotting official residence to Kejriwal

One of the “invaluable benefit” that a nationalist enactment is entitled to, it said, is to beryllium “provided accommodation by the respondents — successful designation of the value of specified an idiosyncratic to the functioning of a nationalist party, the logistical necessity of the same, and the larger interaction connected multi-party ideology successful the country”.

Citing an authoritative memorandum dated July 31, 2014 stating that “one residential accommodation would beryllium allotted/allowed to beryllium retained by the enactment president of a recognised nationalist enactment provided that nary different accommodation has been allotted to him/her successful immoderate different capacity”, the enactment sought the court’s absorption to the respondents connected alloting a residential accommodation astatine the earliest to the nationalist convener “in a centrally located country of New Delhi”.

Clarifying that the AAP does not supply for the station of a “party president”, the petition goes connected to state, “This, however, is lone a semantic/nomenclature technicality and does not vitiate the close of… (AAP) to unafraid accommodation for its organisational head, who is liable for its businesslike functioning.”

Taken up concisely for hearing, the tribunal of Justice Sanjeev Narula Friday issued a announcement to the respondents and posted the substance adjacent for November 26.

The party, successful its petition pointed retired that they wrote a missive connected April 17, 2023 to the Directorate of Estates requesting that a residential accommodation beryllium allocated to the AAP nationalist caput “in a centrally located country of New Delhi”, but the missive was ne'er responded to, pursuing which the enactment past addressed 3 consequent reminder letters dated August 22 and September 13 past twelvemonth and August 21 this year.

“All specified requests fell connected deaf ears, and the respondents utterly failed successful adjacent responding to the letters, fto unsocial acting arsenic required nether the applicable rules and guidelines,” AAP has submitted.

Highlighting that Kejriwal, who was the Delhi main minister, resigned from the station connected September 17, the plea stated, “Post specified a vacation, determination is nary authorities accommodation allocated to him, adjacent arsenic helium continues to service arsenic the nationalist convenor- the de jure and the de facto caput of the petitioner enactment (AAP).”

Subsequently, 2 letters were written to the Directorate of Estates connected September 20 and 27 requesting for authorities accommodation but the aforesaid has not been responded to yet, elder advocator Rahul Mehra, appearing for the AAP, informed the court.