Delhi Supreme Court said on Thursday that the allocation of government accommodation should follow a fair and transparent system and that it is not on the whims of the authorities. The court’s remark came when it was the plea of the AAM Aadmi party to seek residential accommodation for his national convenor and former minister President Arvind Kejriwal in the capital.
Justice Sachin Data noticed, while he heard the matter, “there must be a transparent mechanism and it cannot be purely on your grilling. As long as there is a clearly observable policy … I want to know the way to assess the priority.”
The judge added that the problem was not only about one allocation, but about the greater question of how discretion was practiced in such cases.
The Delhi Supreme Court asked the center to submit a statement to determine the existing policy for the allocation of homes, together with details of previous allocations and the way in which the rules were applied.
On September 16, the court had criticized the government’s delay in making a decision, and noted that her approach looked like a “free system for everyone” and that the allocation could not be selectively decided. The center was then asked to submit the current waiting list and the policy framework before 18 September.
During today’s procedure, the lawyer of the center announced the court that the bungalow, at the age of 35, Lodhi Estate, proposed by AAP for Kejriwal, was already assigned to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Union for Finance Pankaj Chaudhay on July 24 this year. This entry was made in response to the earlier question from the court on the exact date of the allocation.
The building was left by BSP chef Mayawati in May.
Senior lawyer Rahul Mehra appeared for AAP that, despite the proposal from the party that was considered, the bungalow was assigned elsewhere. “All pre-conditions are met. There is a National Convenor who is also the national president. We ask a centrally located home,” he said.
In her petition, AAP quoted the guidelines for the allocation of accommodation of the General Pole of political parties, which state that the president of a recognized national party is entitled to one government residence in Delhi if they have neither own nor have one assigned in another official capacity.
The Supreme Court asked the center for an existing policy on the allocation of government accommodations on Thursday. The court led the joint secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of the Union and the director of the Estates Directorate to be present on 25 September almost in the next hearing.
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(with PTI entrances)
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