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New Delhi: On Monday, The Supreme Court extended the deadline for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to vacate its offices at Rouse Avenue until June 15, 2024. Underscoring that it is a case of encroachment, the Supreme Court gave the party a long deadline in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections.
The party has been allowed to apply to the Centre’s Land and Development Office for alternate land. The bench, comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, directed the AAP to approach the Land And Development Office (L&DO) for the allotment of alternative land for its offices. The court said that the AAP did not possess any lawful right to continue occupying the designated land.
The top court said, “In view of impending general elections it gives time to AAP till June 15 to vacate its political office located on a plot that was allotted to the Delhi High Court for the purpose of expanding the district judiciary.” “We would request the L&DO to process the application and communicate its decision within a period of four weeks,” said the bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
AAP, the bench added, has no lawful right to continue on the land. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the AAP, argued that the party holds a national status but has been allocated less favorable premises compared to other national parties. “They are telling us as a national party we get nothing.
Singhvi said,“I have been given Badarpur while everyone else is in better places.” The court took cognizance of the situation and extended the deadline while reiterating the obligation of the AAP to comply with the land allotment for judicial purposes. Earlier, The Supreme Court had directed the Delhi government and the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court to cooperate in addressing the issue of encroachment by AAP on the land designated for the High Court at Rouse Avenue.
