Why in news :
The Delhi High Court on June 5, 2024, ordered the Centre to take a decision on allocating a party space to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) within six weeks noting that they are entitled to space for a party office here.
Justice Subramonium Prasad said non-availability of a house in the general pool cannot be a reason for rejection of the request of the national party.
Delhi HC asks Centre to take decision within six weeks :
“They (AAP) are entitled to a house from the general pool. Mere pressure or non-availability is no reason to reject because pressure is always there and houses have always been allotted to political parties,” the judge said.
The AAP had moved the court last year by filing two separate petitions seeking a piece of land in the national capital for the construction of its offices in view of its status as a recognised national party or allotment of a housing unit on a licence basis for the time being.
Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing AAP, had said a national party is entitled to a temporary office until land is given to it for the construction of a permanent party office. He had said in the instant case, one of the ministers in the AAP government was willing to forgo his occupation of a unit on Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg in favour of the party.
The central government lawyer said the allotment has to come from the general pool and there is no exclusive list for political parties. He said the AAP was offered land in 2014 for the purposes of its offices but the same was not accepted and currently, allotting a housing unit from the pool was not feasible.
As far as the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg unit was concerned, he had emphasised that it has to be returned to the government.
The AAP counsel had earlier said an alternative housing must be allotted to the party as its current office has to be vacated by June 15.
In March, the Supreme Court granted the AAP time till June 15 to vacate its Rouse Avenue office after noting that the land was allotted to the Delhi High Court for expanding judicial infrastructure.