NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court in its order on Monday directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to vacate its headquarters functioning at present at New Dehli, which is earmarked for the Delhi judiciary, by June 15.
Although, this Apex Court's ruling seemed to be a big setback for AAP, but at the same time, the order was a partial relief for AAP, keeping in view the upcoming General elections and they could keep the said premises till June 14.
The Apex Court's bench, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud directed AAP to go to the Land & Development Office (L&DO) of the Govt of India for an alternate land.
The top court had, in February, observed that AAP was encroaching on the land, which was allotted to the Delhi high court for an expansion project – the building of additional courtrooms for the Rouse Avenue court. It took note of the matter while dealing with a case related to judicial infrastructure across the country.
The Apex court in its order today, instead, asked AAP to approach the L&DO for allotment of land for its offices. It asked L&DO to process the party’s request within four weeks, and asked the department to communicate its decision by the stipulated time.
During the course of the hearing, AAP's senior lawyer and former Solicitor General (SG) Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, argued that its party office near the Rouse Avenue court isn’t an ‘encroachment’ since it was allotted long before it was allocated for the extension of the court. "The AAP was allowed not to function as the elections are coming," Dr Singhvi alleged before the Supreme Court.
The AAP had knocked the doors of the Top Court against a direction for immediate removal of its office space at Rouse Avenue.
The AAP had in its plea said that if it would be directed to remove its office space, then it would severely prejudice the party as well as the fairness of the electoral process in view of upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The AAP filed an application before the Apex Court in connection with a pending case involving the issue of judicial infrastructure, and sought appropriate directions and or orders in the issue.
It claimed that there is no question of it "encroaching" on a space that was duly allotted to it in 2015. It also said that the said space is being used and it was in legal possession since then by it.
The AAP also made it clear in its plea before the Supreme Court that the premises in question had been in the applicant’s (AAP) occupation long before it was earmarked for extending the Rouse Avenue Court Complex.
Recently on February 13, the three-judge bench of the top Court, had questioned, “How can a political party sit tight on that (the land allotted to Delhi High Court)?" and said that “unencumbered possession” must be given to the Delhi High Court of the plot immediately.
The Apex Court went on to observe that no one can take law into their own hands.