Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal would be allotted accommodation in the capital within 10 days in his capacity as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, the Union government told the Delhi high court on Thursday.
“Petitioner [Kejriwal] will be allotted an appropriate accommodation within 10 days from today [Thursday], in accordance with law,” solicitor general Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justice Sachin Datta.
The assurance came days after the court expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of action in the matter. On September 18, the court directed the submission of records of allotments of Type-7 and Type-8 accommodations from the General Pool of Residential Accommodation (GPRA), emphasising that the process must be transparent and not based solely on the executive’s arbitrary discretion. Type-8 typically has five bedrooms, and Type-7 four.
On September 16, the court criticised the government’s evasive stance on the allocation, observing that its approach resembled a “free-for-all” system and that it could not selectively decide who gets a house.
The AAP moved the court seeking a bungalow for Kejriwal, citing the GPRA guidelines. It said he was entitled to one in Delhi as a national party chief. The AAP petition said Kejriwal vacated his official residence (6, Flagstaff Road) in October last year after stepping down as the chief minister. It added that he has been staying at the official residence of another AAP member near Mandi House.
Senior advocate Rahul Mehra and advocate Chaitaniya Gosain, who represented AAP, argued that Kejriwal should be allotted a Type-7 or Type-8 bungalow. They emphasised that the accommodation should not be downgraded from what was provided to him. “They cannot downgrade me to a Type V,” Mehra said and requested the court to keep the petition pending.
Justice Datta declined Mehra’s request, saying it would record Mehta’s statement and proceed to pass an order to dispose of the plea. He said he would give AAP the liberty to approach the court in case the allotment is unsuitable.
“I will take note of the [Mehta] statement that you [Union government] will allot within 10 days from today [Thursday]…considering the status of the petitioner [Kejriwal] as the president of a national political party,” Justice Datta said.
Mehra earlier this month said the government repeatedly cited Mehta’s unavailability even as additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma sought time for instructions regarding the proposal to allot the bungalow that the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati vacated at Lodhi Estate this year.