Supreme Court directs AAP to vacate Delhi office by June 15

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, March 4

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to vacate by June 15 its Delhi office built on the land allotted to the Delhi High Court for expansion of judicial infrastructure in the national capital.

“After 2015, you (AAP) are not lawful occupants of the land, and it cannot be denied,” a Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud told senior counsel AM Singhvi, who represented AAP. On February 13, the Bench had pulled up AAP for encroaching on the land meant for expansion of judicial infrastructure.

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The Bench, however, allowed AAP to apply to the Land and Development Office (L&DO) of the Centre for alternative land.

“In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, we grant time till June 15 to vacate the premises so that land allotted to extend district judiciary footprint can be duly utilised on an expeditious basis,” the Bench said.

“We permit AAP to move the Centre for allotment of land and L&DO to process the application in accordance with the law in the meantime and communicate its decision within four weeks,” it said.

AAP had earlier denied that its office at Rouse Avenue in New Delhi was an encroachment on land allotted to the HC for judicial infrastructure. It told the court that the land was officially allotted to it by the Delhi Government.

The Bench, which has been dealing with the case on judicial infrastructure across India, said the HC was in urgent need of the allotment of premises for housing the new recruits, for which courtrooms were not available.

Noting that the MTNL building, which was earlier proposed, has been found to be unsuitable, it directed the Delhi Chief Secretary to come up with an alternative proposal in two weeks.

Asserting that AAP was a national party, Singhvi said the party had been offered an alternative site far-away at Badarpur, instead of central Delhi where other national parties had their offices.

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