In a decisive move, the Supreme Court of India has given the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) its final opportunity to vacate office premises encroaching on land allotted to the Delhi High Court.
The ruling, delivered on Monday by a vacation bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, has set a deadline of 10 August for AAP to hand over the disputed premises.
Brief Overview:
This decision arises from AAP’s request for an extension of the previous deadline, originally set for 15 June.
The bench, also comprising Justice Sandeep Mehta, granted the extension but underscored the urgency of the matter by ordering AAP to file an undertaking before the Supreme Court registry within a week, pledging to vacate the premises peacefully by the specified date.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, leading AAP, has found itself in a legal battle over its occupation of a portion of land allocated to the Delhi High Court for judicial infrastructure purposes.
The encroachment drew severe criticism from the judiciary, with Chief Justice of India Chandrachud’s bench previously rebuking AAP for its non-compliance.
The CJI Chandrachud-led bench set the earlier deadline of 15 June, motivated by the upcoming general elections, and instructed AAP to seek alternative office space from the Union government’s Land & Development Office (L&DO).
Notably, last week, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to expedite a decision on AAP’s representation for temporary accommodation within six weeks.
AAP has argued that, as a recognized national party, it is entitled to temporary office space until permanent land is allocated for the construction of its office.
With the August 10 deadline looming, AAP finds itself at a critical juncture, with the Supreme Court’s directive underscoring the imperative of adhering to legal protocols and vacating the disputed premises promptly.
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