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Supreme Court extends deadline for AAP to vacate its Delhi office
The order was passed after the AAP filed an application seeking an extension of the earlier deadline fixed by the court to vacate by June 15.
The Supreme Court on Monday extended the time for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to vacate a building being used by the party as its political headquarters at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue till August 10, noting that it will be the last extension opportunity. A vacation bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta further directed the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to give an undertaking for handing over property by the deadline.
The order was passed after the AAP filed an application seeking an extension of the earlier deadline fixed by the court to vacate by June 15.
The issue first came up in the Supreme Court this year while hearing a case pertaining to judicial infrastructure in the country.
Earlier in February, the Supreme Court slammed AAP over the fact that the party's political headquarters was reportedly constructed on “encroached land” that was first allotted to the Delhi high court. Later, in an order on March 4, the top court observed that AAP had “no lawful right to continue on the land” after it was allotted to the Delhi high court for upgrading the district judiciary’s infrastructure.
However, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the ruling party in Delhi, submitted that although AAP is one of the six national parties in the country, it has yet to be allotted a plot for its office. The Kejriwal-led party had also proposed an alternate site in far-away Badarpur instead of central Delhi like other national parties.
The top court then acknowledged AAP's concerns regarding the allotment of an alternative plot in the national capital to run its political affairs and allowed the party to approach the Centre’s Land & Development Office (L&DO) for allotment of a different land for its offices.
“We would request the L&DO to process the application in accordance with the law and communicate its decision within a period of four weeks,” the bench had said.
