After a Delhi court ruled on Friday, 6 October, that Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha be evicted from his government-allotted Type 7 bungalow, Chadha called the order “arbitrary” and “unprecedented."
“The cancellation of my duly allotted official accommodation was arbitrary without any notice to me. It is unprecedented in more than 70 years of history of Rajya Sabha that a sitting Rajya Sabha member is sought to be removed from his duly allotted accommodation where he has been residing for a while and more than 4 years of his tenure as Rajya Sabha member are still remaining.”Raghav Chadha
What’s the case? Chadha had been allotted a Type 6 bungalow last July. However, following a request, the Rajya Sabha chairman allotted a bigger Type 7 bungalow in September.
This allotment was cancelled this year in March when the RS secretariat said that a first-time MP isn’t entitled to this accommodation.
Chadha had approached the Patiala House Court which had granted him interim relief from eviction on 18 April.
What the court said: The Patiala House Court in Delhi said that Chadha, being a first-time MP, does not have any right to occupy a Type 7 bungalow and lifted the interim stay from his eviction.
"The plaintiff cannot assert that he possesses an absolute entitlement to occupy the accommodation throughout his entire term as a Member of the Rajya Sabha. The allocation of government housing is simply a privilege granted to the plaintiff, and he does not have an inherent right to maintain occupancy even after the allocation has been rescinded.”
Reacting to the order, the AAP leader, said,
“The manner of the entire exercise leaves me with no option but to believe that these have been carried out at the dictates of the BJP to further their political motives and vested interest.”
Chadha also said that he had been evicted for being a “vocal parliamentarian,” while other first-time MPs have been allowed to stay in such accommodations.
He added,
“Interestingly, about 118 out of 240 Rajya Sabha Members are living in accommodations above their entitlement but selectively targeting and interfering with vocal representatives, who are giving a strong opposition to BJP on the floor of the house and maintaining a healthy democracy, is a sorry state of affairs for the nation.”
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