Justice has prevailed: Raghav Chadha on HC letting him stay on in govt bungalow

New Delhi: AAP MP Raghav Chadha on Tuesday welcomed the Delhi High Court decision allowing his plea to stay his eviction from the government bungalow allotted to him and claimed that the cancellation of allotment was a case of "political vendetta".

In a relief to Chadha, the court on Tuesday allowed the MP's plea challenging the trial court's vacation of its interim order preventing the Rajya Sabha Secretariat from evicting him from the bungalow. The trial court's decision had cleared the decks for Chadha's eviction.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the April 18 order of the trial court, which had directed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat not to evict Chadha, stands revived and shall remain in force till the time the trial court decides his application for interim relief.

In a statement on 'X', Chadha said, "I welcome the decision of the Hon'ble Delhi High Court to set aside the order of the trial court, which was against me. The cancellation of this allotment was a clear case of political vendetta, aimed at silencing a young, vocal parliamentarian. The decision to revoke my official accommodation was arbitrary, unreasonable, and unjust, representing a new low in political vendetta." The MP also said that opposition voices were being "deliberately targeted".

"This is not a fight for home or shop but to save the Constitution. In the end, truth and justice have prevailed," he said in the post.

Calling the incident an "unprecedented departure from democratic norms", the senior AAP leader alleged that it was the "first time in the 70-year history of the Rajya Sabha" that a member faced such "political harassment" for holding the government accountable.

"Not only was this cancellation driven by malicious intent, but it also contained glaring irregularities that clearly violated established rules and regulations. Every Member of Parliament is entitled to official accommodation, and what has been given to me is identical to what many of my fellow first-time MPs have received," he noted.

Chadha said he had delivered two speeches in Parliament holding the BJP-led Centre accountable. He alleged that after his first speech, his official accommodation was cancelled.

"After my second speech, my membership as a parliamentarian was suspended. No parliamentarian can function if he is made to worry about what his forthright and honest speech will cost him next," he said, emphasising that he was not afraid and was "ready to make any sacrifice" to uphold the principles of democracy.

The Supreme Court Monday sought a response from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on the petition filed by AAP leader and lawmaker Raghav Chadha challenging his indefinite suspension from the Upper House, and sought the assistance of the attorney general in adjudicating the issue.

Chadha, in his statement, cited this development and said he did not wish to state anything further on it.

"All I want to say is that they can remove me from my official accommodation, they can remove me from Parliament, but they can't remove me from the hearts of millions of Indians, where I hope I really reside," he asserted.

Chadha had challenged the trial court's October 5 order which vacated its own order of April 18 on a review plea filed by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The trial court had said in its latest order that Chadha cannot claim an absolute right to occupy the government bungalow during his entire tenure as a Rajya Sabha member even after cancellation of the allotment.

The Rajya Sabha Secretariat had opposed his petition against the trial court's decision.

Chadha was on July 6 last year allotted a 'Type 6' bungalow at Pandara Park but he made a representation to the Rajya Sabha chairman on August 29 requesting for a 'Type 7' accommodation. He was then allotted another bungalow on Pandara Road from the Rajya Sabha pool.

However, in March this year, the allotment was cancelled.

As a first-time MP, Chadha is entitled to a Type-5 accommodation in the normal course, according to the Rajya Sabha Members Handbook released in April 2022.

The handbook says MPs who are former Union Cabinet ministers, former governors or former chief ministers, and former Lok Sabha Speakers, are entitled to Type-7 bungalows, the second largest category available to Rajya Sabha members.