SC Extends Deadline Till August 10 For AAP To Vacant Its Delhi Office For HC

The Supreme Court on Monday extended till August 10 the deadline to vacate Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) headquarters office in the Rouse Avenue area of Delhi as the land was allotted for the expansion of Delhi High Court's infrastructure.
A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta clarified that the extension to AAP is granted as a "last opportunity".

The bench said that the extension will be subject to the party giving an undertaking to the Supreme Court's Registry that they will vacant and hand over the peaceful possession of the property on or before August 10, 2024.

"The premises are already allotted to the Delhi High Court in 2020. The expansion of the High Court is stultified and cost expansion is also a factor. This application is for an extension of time till August 10, 2024. Considering facts and circumstances and as a last opportunity, we extend the time till August 10, 2024 on an undertaking to be given by the applicant within a week before the Registry of this court that they shall handover vacant and peaceful possession by August 10, 2024," the bench stated in its order.

The bench allowed an application filed by the AAP seeking an extension of time till August 10.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had given AAP the deadline of June 15. The AAP's headquarters in Delhi was originally allotted to the Delhi High Court.

The AAP had told the top court the said plot had been allotted to it in 2015 and it was earmarked for the judiciary only subsequently in 2020. The AAP also said that since it has a national party status now, it was entitled to a plot in Central Delhi at par with other national parties.

It directed AAP to approach the Centre's Land And Development Office (L&DO) for the allocation of suitable land for its offices.