 to vacate its office near Rouse Avenue Court by June 15 on Monday.....){kind=link}
The Supreme Court ordered the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to vacate its office near Rouse Avenue Court by June 15 on Monday, March 4. The Supreme Court came down heavily over the encroachment of land. However, it granted time as AAP’s representative, contented that the party won’t be able to shift before upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The court permitted the party to move to Land and Development office for the allotment of land. It also directed the office to process the party’s request within four months. Abhishek Singhvi, AAP representative, demanded that authorities should also ask other parties to move to the Badarpur area.
He also claimed that the party received the land allocation in 2015 before the district judiciary did in 2020. Further he demanded to get an office in the same area for it has a “Very Large Space.”
Court’s Response- “No Lawful Right”
The three-judge bench slammed AAP for “illegally occupying” the encroached land and emphasized that the party has “No Lawful Right” to continue occupying the allocated land.
During the proceedings, CJI Chandrachud inquired, “After L&DO allotted it to the District court complex, how did it go to the political party (AAP).” Furthermore, Singhvi received criticism from CJI for using Supreme Court to get allot land for AAP. He said, “You are using our good offices to have a land allotted to you.”
The Solicitor General slammed Singhvi for his argument, saying that he cannot hold the Supreme Court and High Court hostage and for saying that he will not vacate until the AAP is granted another piece of property.
In earlier proceedings as well, the CJI, seemed irritated upon discovering the encroachment. He had warned the lawyer representing the Delhi government led by AAP that they needed to restore the land to the High Court. CJI Chandrachud stated, “No one can take the law into their own hands….How is a political party sit tight on that?”
Furthermore, this isn’t the first time AAP has ticked off the court. Earlier, the Supreme Court had criticised the Delhi Government for its negligent approach in allocating funds for infrastructure to the district courts of Delhi. At that time, the Chief Justice of India observed that three out of four projects had been approved in March 2021, yet no funds have been allocated to these projects.