New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken its fight to the Delhi High Court after alleging that the Centre denied Arvind Kejriwal, the party’s national convenor and chief, his rightful bungalow allotment despite clear guidelines.
According to AAP, under the 2014 rules and allotment guidelines, any recognized national political party’s president is entitled to a government bungalow in Delhi. AAP, which was granted the national party status in 2023, had formally applied for an official residence for Kejriwal in April 2023.
Party leaders alleged that despite availability, the Centre deliberately withheld the allotment. The Delhi High Court observed that even junior ministers like Minister of State Pankaj Chaudhary were allotted residences, while Kejriwal, who is entitled under the rules, was ignored. The court expressed displeasure, remarking that the process lacked transparency and asked the concerned Union government officers to explain why the application was pending for nearly two years.
AAP’s legal team stressed that this denial is part of a pattern of political vendetta against Kejriwal and the party. They pointed out that in several other cases, even non-national party leaders were allotted bungalows, while AAP, despite being a recognized national party, was forced to approach the judiciary.
यह भी पढ़ें: Why doesn’t Kejriwal have a bungalow?: केजरीवाल को बंगला क्यों नहीं? हाईकोर्ट में सवाल, पारदर्शिता पर उठे गंभीर सवाल
“The High Court has directed the Centre to submit records and justify on what basis the allotment was denied despite clear rules. Justice delayed cannot mean justice denied,” said AAP’s counsel, arguing that the allotment is not a privilege but a right guaranteed under law.
AAP leaders alleged that the Centre has repeatedly tried to obstruct Kejriwal, whether through probes, arrests, or administrative hurdles, and this refusal to allot a bungalow is another instance of “political harassment.”
The High Court will continue hearing the matter, but the sharp judicial remarks have already fueled a fresh political flashpoint between the AAP and the BJP-led Centre, with the issue likely to dominate Delhi’s political narrative in the coming weeks.
