On 10th October, Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, Raghav Chadha, moved to the Delhi High Court to challenge the trial court’s order directing him to vacate the bungalow. The trial court had upheld the Rajya Sabha Secretariat’s notice directing Chadha to vacate the type VII bungalow allotted to him.
The advocate appearing for AAP’s MP said that an eviction notice has been issued, and proceedings are going on. The plea was mentioned before Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula. The court has agreed to list the matter on 11th October.
Trial Court allowed Rajya Sabha Secretariat to take over Chadha’s house
On 5th October, a Delhi court lifted its previous stay order on the eviction of AAP MP Raghav Chadha from his government bungalow located in Lutyens Delhi. Additional District Judge Sudhanshu Kaushik ruled that Chadha is not entitled to a Type VII bungalow, which he currently occupies, allowing the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to take over the house. The court stated that Raghav Chadha had no vested right to continue living in the bungalow as it was only a privilege given to him as an MP.
After the order was passed, Chadha said, “It is unprecedented in more than 70 years of history of Rajya Sabha that a sitting Rajya Sabha member is sought to be removed from his duly allotted accommodation where he has been residing for a while and more than 4 years of his tenure as Rajya Sabha member are still remaining. The manner of the entire exercise leaves me with no option but to believe that these have been carried out at the dictates of the BJP to further their political motives and vested interest in order to scuttle and stifle the political criticism raised by the vocal parliamentarians like me.”
In September 2022, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha was allotted a Type VII bungalow at Pandara Road in Delhi. However, in March 2023, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat cancelled the allotment because it exceeded his entitlement as a first-time MP. He was subsequently allotted a different house.
Chadha had gone to the Patiala House Court against the order and obtained a stay on 18th April. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat later filed a plea objecting to the stay order, stating that it was passed without giving them a chance to be heard. The court listened to both sides and lifted the stay order on Friday. Chadha’s lawyer argued that the Rajya Sabha Secretariat did not fall under the definition of ‘government’ or ‘public officer’, but the court disagreed with this assertion.
