Raghav Chadha has no right to occupy govt bungalow: Delhi court
Raghav Chadha may lose his government bungalow at Delhi's Pandara Road after a Delhi court's order.
A Delhi court said AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has 'no vested right' to continue to occupy the government bungalow, a type-7 accommodation at Delhi's Pandara road. The court said since the allotment was cancelled and the privilege given to the minister has been withdrawn, Raghav Chadha has no right to continue at the bungalow. On April 18, an interim order was passed which allowed Raghav Chadha to stay at the bungalow. Now, additional district judge Sudhanshu Kaushik of Patiala House Courts vacated that interim order, LiveLaw reported. The Rajya Sabha secretariat filed a review application seeking a recall of the interim order
"Raghav Chadha cannot claim that he had an absolute right to continue occupy the accommodation during his entire tenure as a Member of Rajya Sabha. The allotment of Government accommodation is only a privilege given to the plaintiff and he has no vested right to continue to occupy the same even after the cancellation of allotment," the court said.
What is the issue over Raghav Chadha's bungalow?
As a Rajya Sabha MP, Raghav Chadha was allotted the Pandara Road bungalow in 2022. It is a type 7 accommodation. In March 2023, the allotment was cancelled as type 7 was higher than his right. He was allotted another flat - a type 6 one. Raghav Chadha approached the court against the cancellation and it was stayed saying that Chadha couldn't be ousted from the bungalow without due process of law.
Raghav Chadha started residing at the bungalow with his parents after carrying out renovation work.
Will Raghav Chadha be asked to vacate?
The latest development in the case is that the earlier order has been vacated meaning that Raghav Chadha stands to be evicted from the Pandara Road bungalow.
At the court, Chadha's lawyer argued that the Rajya Sabha Secretariat does not fall under the definition of 'government' or 'public officer'. Chadha's counsel also made this argument that an accommodation once made to an MP cannot be cancelled under any circumstances during their entire tenure. The court rejected all these and said that Raghav Chadha failed to show the need for 'any urgent or immediate relief' in the present matter.
Raghav Chadha is a resident of Rajinder Nagar the Delhi Assembly constituency that he represented before becoming the youngest Rajya Sabha MP. A chartered accountant by profession, Raghav Chadha recently got married to Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra.