The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on Aam Admi Party (AAP) for building party office located at Rouse Avenue in Delhi as the land was originally allotted to the Delhi High Court. The case came up in the Supreme Court while hearing a case pertaining to judicial infrastructure in the country.
The bench of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra was told that when the officials of Delhi High Court went to take possession of land allotted to them, they found that the AAP had built an office on the land.
Senior Advocate K Parameshwar who has been appointed amicus curiae in the case, apprised the apex court about the situation on ground.
Appearing for the Arvind Kejriwal government, Bharat Parashar told the bench that the land was with AAP since 2016 and before that an MP's Bungalow was built on it.
A seemingly irked CJI cautioned the counsel appearing for the Delhi government and remarked that no one can take law into their own hands. The CJI further said that the land must be returned to the High Court.
"How can a political party sit tight on that? Unencumbered possession must be given to the High Court. What will the High Court use it for? Only for the public and citizens." remarked the CJI.
The top court issued directions the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government, the Secretary to the Delhi Public Works Department and the Finance Secretary to the Delhi government to hold a meeting with the Registrar General of Delhi High Court to ensure that encroachments are removed.
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The top court has asked Delhi government to give a timeline on Monday for removing the encroachment.
Earlier, the Supreme Court slammed the Kejriwal government over its lackadaisical approach towards providing funds for infrastructure in the Delhi district judiciary.