No bungalow for Arvind Kejriwal yet, court tells Centre allotment can't be on whim

The Delhi High Court on Thursday said allotment of government accommodation must follow a fair and transparent system and it can’t be on authorities’ whims. The court’s remark came as it heard Aam Aadmi Party’s plea seeking residential accomodation for its national convenor and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the capital.

Justice Sachin Datta, while hearing the matter, remarked, “There has to be a transparent mechanism and it cannot be purely on your whims. As long as there is a clear discernible policy... I want to know the manner of assessing priority.”

The judge added that the issue was not just about one allotment but about the larger question of how discretion was exercised in such cases.

The Delhi High Court asked the Centre to file an affidavit putting on record the existing policy for residential allotment, along with details of previous allotments and the way the rules had been applied.

On September 16, the court had criticised the government’s delay in taking a decision, observing that its approach resembled a “free system for all” and that allotment could not be decided selectively. The Centre was asked then to submit the current waiting list and the policy framework by September 18.

During today’s proceedings, the Centre’s counsel informed the court that the bungalow at 35, Lodhi Estate, proposed by AAP for Kejriwal, had already been allotted to Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on July 24 this year. This submission was made in response to the court’s earlier query on the exact date of the allotment.

The property had been vacated by BSP chief Mayawati in May.

Appearing for AAP, senior advocate Rahul Mehra argued that despite the party’s proposal being under consideration, the bungalow was allotted elsewhere. “All pre-conditions are met. There is a national convenor, who is also the national president. We are requesting a centrally located residence,” he said.

In its petition, AAP cited the guidelines for allotment of accommodation from the general pool to political parties, which state that the president of a recognised national party is entitled to one government residence in Delhi if they neither own a house nor have one allotted in any other official capacity.

The High Court on Thursday asked the Centre about any existing policy on allotment of government accommodations. The court directed the joint secretary of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the director of the Directorate of Estates to be present virtually in the next hearing on September 25.

- Ends

(with inputs from PTI)