The Delhi High Court was informed by the Central Government that arrangements are being finalised to provide suitable residential accommodation to Arvind Kejriwal, in his capacity as the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), within a period of ten days. The assurance came during the hearing of a petition filed by AAP seeking appropriate housing for its party head.
During the proceedings before Justice Sachin Datta, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that the government had resolved the matter and would allot accommodation “in accordance with law” and as per the rules governing such entitlements. Taking note of the submission, the Court observed that a formal order would be issued while recording the Centre’s undertaking.
Appearing on behalf of Kejriwal, Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra urged the Court to direct the government to specify the nature of the accommodation to be provided, contending that his client could not be confined to the type of residence previously allotted.
While acknowledging the Centre’s assurance, Justice Datta remarked that “the Ministry’s existing practices require improvement,” highlighting that delays in allocation were a recurring concern, not only for political figures but for other categories of allottees as well. In response, the Solicitor General assured the bench that the issues identified by the Court would be addressed at the highest administrative level.
The petition, filed by AAP, sought directions to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to allot official residence to Kejriwal in line with Rule 26(iii) of the Office Memorandum dated 31 July 2014. The said provision entitles the president of a recognised national political party to retain one government accommodation if none is allotted to them in any other official capacity.
The matter was initiated after a coordinate bench issued notice on the plea last year. The party argued that all conditions under the 2014 Memorandum were duly fulfilled and that formal requests for allotment had already been submitted to the concerned Ministry.
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