Delhi Court Orders Raghav Chadha To Vacate Type 7 Government Bungalow

Raghav Chadha, an AAP Rajya Sabha member, has suffered a setback after a Delhi court decided that he is not entitled to remain in the government bungalow that was given to him after the allotment was revoked. The interim stay granted to Mr. Chadha has been lifted by the court, so the Rajya Sabha Secretariat may at any time request Chadha to vacate the bungalow.

The AAP leader claimed that the cancellation of the allotment was done at the “dictates of the BJP to further their political motives and vested interest” in a statement released following the court order. He also described it as arbitrary and unprecedented.

In July of last year, Mr. Chadha was given a Type 6 bungalow. He later asked the Rajya Sabha Chairman for a larger Type 7 residence, which was granted to him in September of the same year. The secretariat, however, had revoked the allocation in March, claiming that the first-time MP was not entitled to a bungalow of that grade.

The AAP MP was ordered to leave the bungalow, which is located on Pandara Road in the heart of Delhi, and had appealed the decision to Delhi’s Patiala House court. On April 18, the court issued an interim stay.

The Patiala House court lifted the stay on Friday, stating that Mr. Chadha could not assert an absolute right to occupy the bungalow.

The court said, “Plaintiff cannot claim that he has an absolute right to continue to occupy the accommodation during his entire tenure as a Member of Rajya Sabha. The allotment of Government accommodation is only a privilege given to the plaintiff and he has no vested right to continue to occupy the same even after the cancellation of allotment.”

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