Delhi court: Raghav Chadda has no right to live in goverment bungalow

Raghav Chadha started residing at the bungalow with his parents after carrying out renovation work...

A Delhi court said AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has 'no vested right' to continue to live in 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 The court said since the allotment was cancelled and the privilege given to the minister has been withdrawn, Raghav Chadha has no right to live at the bungalow.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.

"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.

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.

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.