Delhi High Court Orders Allotment of Office Space for AAP

The Delhi High Court has directed the Centre to decide on providing office space to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) within six weeks. The court stated that lack of availability or pressure cannot justify rejecting AAP's request, as it is a recognized national party requiring office space.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday decreed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is entitled to office space like other political parties and mandated that the Centre arrive at a decision within six weeks.

Justice Subramonium Prasad underscored that pressure or lack of availability of a general pool house does not constitute valid grounds for rejecting AAP's request.

“AAP is entitled to a house from the general pool. Mere pressure or non-availability is no reason to reject the request because pressure is always there and houses have always been allotted to political parties,” the court noted.

The AAP petition seeks office space allocation by the Centre, given its status as a national party. With the current office on Rouse Avenue to be vacated by June 15, the party’s counsel suggested a temporary allocation at Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg, currently occupied by a city minister.

Justice Prasad clarified that while the DDU Marg property cannot be claimed, AAP should take appropriate steps if their representation is denied by the Centre. Pending since last year's court filing, the petition requests either a piece of land for office construction or a temporary housing unit on a license basis.

In March, the Supreme Court instructed AAP to vacate its Rouse Avenue office by June 15 for the Delhi High Court's judicial infrastructure expansion. The party contends that similar office allocations have been made to other national parties, and equitable treatment under Centre policy is warranted.