Delhi HC reserves order on Raghav Chadha’s bungalow eviction row

The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea by AAP MP Raghav Chadha challenging the trial court’s decision to vacate an interim order that stopped the Rajya Sabha secretariat from evicting him from the government bungalow allotted to him.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, after completing the proceedings, orally asked the counsel for the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to not take any action in the matter till the high court has delivered its judgment.“I am not passing any interim order, but till I decide it, nothing shall be done in the meantime,” the judge said.

While the counsel for Chadha submitted that he had already filed his brief submissions in the case, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat’s lawyer said he will submit his synopsis by Friday evening. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Chadha, said the AAP leader has been directed to appear before the estate officer pursuant to Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act proceedings tomorrow. He said he proposes to request the estate officer defer the proceedings as the high court has reserved its judgment in the matter.

Chadha has challenged the trial court’s October 5 order, in which it observed that he cannot claim an absolute right to continue to occupy the government bungalow during his entire tenure as a Rajya Sabha MP even after the cancellation of allotment.
The trial court had made the observation while vacating an interim order passed on April 18, which directed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat not to oust Chadha from the government bungalow.