The legal counsel for AAP leader Raghav Chadha argued before the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that the decision to evict him from the government-allocated bungalow was arbitrary and malicious. Chadha had filed a case in the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court’s order that prevented him from being dispossessed of the type VII bungalow assigned to him.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Chadha, contended, “The decision to withdraw my allotment reeks of malice.” Singhvi further pointed out that a substantial number of MPs, including 115 out of 245 in the Rajya Sabha, have housing assignments exceeding their technical entitlement. Additionally, four other first-term MPs have bungalows on the same road as Chadha’s. He emphasized that 65 other assigned houses also fall within the general pool.
Singhvi raised questions about the timing of the eviction notice, suggesting that it coincided with Chadha’s widely known wedding to actor Parineeti Chopra. Chadha had been allotted the type VII bungalow on Pandara Road in central Delhi in September 2022, taking possession in November. However, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat canceled the allocation in March of the following year and served an eviction notice.
Subsequently, the AAP leader sought an injunction against the eviction notice in a civil court in Delhi. While the initial court order favored Chadha, the court later ordered him to vacate after the Rajya Sabha Secretariat submitted a review plea. Consequently, Chadha approached the Delhi High Court against the civil court’s decision.
The case was presented before Justice Anoop J Bhambhani’s bench, with the next hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Singhvi, a seven-time MP himself, argued in court that the issue of “entitlement” for a “first-time MP” was arbitrary since the allotment was made at the discretion of the Vice President of India. He stressed that Chadha was granted the Pandara Road bungalow due to his “security status” as a Z+ protectee following death threats in Punjab. Singhvi highlighted that Chadha’s safety detail included a contingent of police officers stationed at his residence.
Additionally, a technical point was raised in the case concerning the challenge of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat’s decision in a civil court. Singhvi contended that the secretariat does not fall within the definition of “government” under the Civil Procedure Code, enabling Chadha to file a lawsuit in court rather than approaching the authorities under the Public Premises Act.
Furthermore, Chadha pointed out that his neighbors, including Sudhanshu Trivedi and Danish Ali, are also first-time MPs. The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) argued that the house committee had not approved the allotment and that the chairman of the House Committee possessed the authority to cancel the allocation.
