AAP Moves Delhi HC Seeking Accommodation For Kejriwal

Justice Sanjeev Narula sought the Centre's stand on the petition and listed it for hearing on November 26.

New Delhi:The AAP approached the Delhi High Court on Friday, seeking a direction to the Centre to allot a residence in the capital to the party's national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal.

The senior counsel appearing in the court on behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said according to the guidelines issued in this regard, the president of a national political party is entitled to a residential accommodation in Delhi and therefore, former chief minister Kejriwal should be allotted a residence.

Justice Sanjeev Narula sought the Centre's stand on the petition and listed it for hearing on November 26.

The AAP's counsel said a letter was written to the authorities concerned on September 20 for the allotment of an accommodation to Kejriwal and subsequently, a reminder communication was also sent.

"All pre-conditions are met. There is a national convenor (of the AAP), who is the national president. We want it to be in a centrally-located place," he said.

According to the Guidelines for Allotment of Accommodation from General Pool to the Political Parties, recognised national political parties are allowed to secure the allotment of one housing unit from the general pool in Delhi for their office use on the payment of a licence fee.

Pursuant to this provision, the high court had, on June 5, ruled that the AAP was entitled to space for a party office here like other national political parties and asked the BJP-led Centre to take a decision on the issue.

The AAP was then allocated a new office at Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla Lane in the Lutyens Delhi area.

The guidelines also state that one residential accommodation would be allotted to the president of a recognised national political party in case he has no house in Delhi, either of his own or allotted by the government in any other capacity.

After stepping down from the chief minister's post, Kejriwal on October 4 vacated the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow and has since moved into the official residence of a party member near Mandi House.

The AAP supremo resigned as the chief minister last month, saying he would hold the post again only after he gets a "certificate of honesty" from the people of Delhi in the Assembly polls due in February.

Kejriwal was released from the Tihar jail on September 13 following bail granted by the Supreme Court after five months in the excise policy case. He was earlier granted interim bail in a connected money-laundering case by the top court.