AAP withdraws plea from SC on allotment of land for its offices

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday withdrew its plea before the Supreme Court seeking allotment of land in the national capital for construction of its offices.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for AAP, submitted before a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that a single judge Bench of the Delhi High Court has been routinely hearing the matter.

"I wish to withdraw it," Singhvi said and sought liberty to approach the apex court after the high court pronounces its verdict.

"We permit the withdrawal of the SLP and in terms of the request made before this Court, we grant liberty to the petitioner to adopt appropriate proceedings in accordance with law, in the event the petitioner is aggrieved by the ultimate outcome of the proceedings before the High Court," the top court noted in its order.

The AAP, in its plea before the high court, has sought a direction to the Union government to take necessary steps according to law to allot it suitable land in New Delhi to enable the party to construct offices for its national and Delhi state units at the earliest.

It also sought a direction to the authorities to ensure that the land allotted is preferably in centrally located areas of Delhi and is free from encumbrances and encroachments so construction can commence immediately.

The plea also sought quashing of the June 26 and September 15 letters of the housing ministry rejecting AAP's request for allotment of land.

Its request was rejected on the ground that no vacant land was available on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg or other centrally located areas of Delhi for allotment.

The AAP said the National People's Party, which was recognised as a national party as recently as 2019 with one member each in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, was allotted land at North Avenue for construction of its national party office.

Other national parties also currently have offices on land allotted in central Delhi, including Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg and Akbar Road, it said.

The Supreme court had earlier this year directed AAP to vacate its offices in Rouse Avenue as the land on which it stood was allotted to the Delhi High Court for expansion of its district courts there.

The Delhi's ruling party has sought a suitable piece of land for its offices given its national party status.