Delhi High Court Dismisses Petition Against Chief Minister Atishi

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has received relief from the Delhi High Court, which dismissed a petition seeking action against her for allowing former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and his family members to continue residing in a government-allotted bungalow. After hearing arguments from the petitioner’s lawyer, the court decided not to take any action on the matter.

The petition was filed by social worker and RTI activist Sanjeev Jain, who had sought action against Atishi for permitting Sisodia’s family to occupy the government bungalow after his resignation. However, a bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela stated that they did not find it appropriate to issue any orders in the case. The court added that if any rule had been violated, the concerned officer would be fully competent to take action, if necessary.

Allegations In The Petition

Jain’s petition alleged that Manish Sisodia had been arrested and sent to jail in March 2023, following which he resigned from his post. Despite this, Sisodia’s entire family continued to reside in the bungalow.

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The petition further pointed out that it was surprising that, when Atishi was allotted the bungalow in March 2023, she was living in the Jangpura area of New Delhi. The petition also questioned why Sisodia’s family had not objected to Atishi’s residence in the bungalow.

Background On The Bungalow Allocation

The AB-17 bungalow, located on Mathura Road, had been allocated to Atishi after Sisodia’s arrest in the liquor policy case. Prior to Sisodia’s tenure, the bungalow had been allotted to former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit after the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in 2015.

With the court’s decision to dismiss the petition, Atishi has been cleared of any wrongdoing regarding the allotment of the bungalow to Sisodia’s family.