Raghav Chadha welcomes Delhi HC decision allowing him to stay on in govt bungalow

In a relief to Chadha, the Delhi HC on Tuesday allowed the MP's plea challenging the trial court's vacation of its interim order preventing the Rajya Sabha Secretariat from evicting him from the bungalow

New Delhi: AAP MP Raghav Chadha on Tuesday welcomed the Delhi High Court decision allowing his plea to stay his eviction from the government bungalow allotted to him and claimed that the cancellation of allotment was a case of political vendetta.

In a relief to Chadha, the court on Tuesday allowed the MP’s plea challenging the trial court’s vacation of its interim order preventing the Rajya Sabha Secretariat from evicting him from the bungalow. The trial court’s decision had cleared the decks for Chadha’s eviction.

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Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the April 18 order of the trial court, which had directed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat not to evict Chadha, stands revived and shall remain in force till the time the trial court decides his application for interim relief.

In his statement on ‘X’, Chadha said, “I welcome the decision of the Hon’ble Delhi High Court to set aside the order of the trial court, which was against me. The cancellation of this allotment was a clear case of political vendetta, aimed at silencing a young, vocal parliamentarian.” The MP also said that opposition voices were being “deliberately targeted”.

“This is not a fight for home or shop but to save the Constitution. In the end, truth and justice have prevailed,” he said in the post.

Chadha had challenged the trial court’s October 5 order, which vacated its April 18 order. The court had said in the later order that Chadha could not claim an absolute right to occupy the government bungalow during his entire tenure as a Rajya Sabha member even after the cancellation of the allotment.

The Rajya Sabha Secretariat had opposed his petition against the trial court’s decision.

Chadha was on July 6 last year allotted a ‘Type 6’ bungalow at Pandara Park but he made a representation to the Rajya Sabha chairman on August 29, requesting for a ‘Type 7’ accommodation. He was then allotted another bungalow on Pandara Road from the Rajya Sabha pool.

However, in March this year, the allotment was cancelled.

As a first-time MP, Chadha is entitled to a Type-5 accommodation in the normal course, according to the Rajya Sabha Members Handbook released in April 2022.

The handbook says MPs who are former Union cabinet ministers, former governors or former chief ministers, and former Lok Sabha Speakers, are entitled to Type-7 bungalows, the second largest category available to Rajya Sabha members.