No question of encroachment on court land, AAP tells Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party has approached the Supreme Court claiming that its office located on Rouse Avenue here is not an encroachment but was lawfully allotted to it, long before it was earmarked for extending the court complex.

The party said it is ready and willing to vacate the space provided at least one of two office spaces, it was entitled due to upgradation of its status as a national party, was allotted to it in New Delhi Municipal Area in view of forthcoming general elections.

In an intervention application, it said far from being an instance of ‘encroachment’, the subject premises were officially allotted to it on December 31, 2015 for its state unit office. Such allotment of office space for official party work is an essential element of public funding of elections in India and is designed to level the electoral playing field, it said.

The party said since this allotment, it has risen to become a national political party and status has further enhanced its need for, as well as its entitlement to office spaces in the New Delhi Municipal Area, at par with the five other national parties.

“There is no question of the applicant ‘encroaching’ on a space that was duly allotted to it in 2015 and that has been in its possession since then. The subject premises had been in the applicant’s occupation long before it was earmarked for extending the Rouse Avenue Court Complex," the application said.

The party said immediate vacation will mean that it will be left with none of the two office spaces it is entitled to and this will severely prejudice the party as well as the fairness of the electoral process, given the impending general elections and the fact that the other five national parties are operating out of their allotted offices in New Delhi.

“Therefore, while the applicant remains ready and willing to vacate the Subject Premises, it is submitted that this Court direct that such vacation be required only after at least one of the two office spaces that the applicant is entitled to are allotted to it in the New Delhi Municipal area of a nature appropriate to the applicant’s status as a national party,” it said.

On February 13, the Supreme Court expressed its displeasure anguish after being infirmed that the Aam Aadmi Party's office, located at Rouse Avenue in Delhi, was built over the land allotted to the Delhi High Court.

The court had then sought timeline for removal of encroachment on the next date of hearing, February 19.