Kejriwal will get accommodation within 10 days, government assures court
What's the story
The Union government has assured the Delhi High Court that Arvind Kejriwal will be allotted appropriate accommodation within 10 days. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made the statement before a bench of Justice Sachin Datta on Thursday. The assurance comes after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) filed a petition seeking residential accommodation for Kejriwal in a centrally located area of New Delhi.
Plea details
AAP's petition on residential accommodation for Kejriwal
The AAP argued that according to an office memorandum issued by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on July 31, 2014, national party presidents are entitled to such accommodations, as long as no other accommodations have been allotted to him/ her. The court had then sought the Centre's response in October last year. Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the AAP, argued that the accommodation provided could not be a downgrade from what Kejriwal had previously received.
Court proceedings
Court gives AAP liberty to approach government
"It has been a Type 7 or 8. They cannot downgrade me to a Type 5. I'm not favoured, I'm not Bahujan Samaj Party," Mehra said. The court noted that such matters need resolution and gave AAP liberty to approach the government if they are not satisfied with the allotment. "The practice of ministry has to be noted. Not just this time for politicians but for non-politicians as well. It is an issue that has to be resolved," he said.
Past hearings
Court's direction for Type-7, Type-8 accommodations
The court had earlier criticized the government's evasive stance on accommodation allocation, comparing it to a "free-for-all" system. On September 18, it directed submission of records for Type-7 and Type-8 accommodations from the General Pool of Residential Accommodation (GPRA), emphasizing the importance of transparency and not relying exclusively on the executive's arbitrary discretion. These types usually have four or five bedrooms, respectively.