Supreme Court sets new deadline of August 10 for Aam Aadmi Party to vacate its office on Rouse Avenue Court land

The Supreme Court on Monday granted more time to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to vacate its office on the land belonging to Rouse Avenue court in Delhi [Malik Mazhar Sultan vs Union of India]..A Vacation Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta extended the deadline after Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the AAP, urged the Court for more time.The top court in March had given the AAP till June 15 to vacate the land since the Lok Sabha elections were about to be held then..Today, it extended the time "on an undertaking to be given by the applicant (AAP) within a week before Supreme Court registry that they shall handover vacant and peaceful possession by August 10, 2024"."The premises in question had to be vacated till June 15, 2024. The premises is already allotted to Delhi High Court in 2020. The expansion of High Court is stultified and cost expansion is also a factor. This application is for extension of time till August 10, 2024. Considering facts and circumstances and as a last opportunity, we extend the time till August 10," the Court said.Advocate K Parameshwar, representing the High Court, earlier submitted that delay in handing over the land had severely affected the infrastructural expansion plans of the High Court."There is a shortage of 90 courtrooms and the land has not been used still by the High Court. We are in dire conditions and now we may have to rent premises. They want some place in Central Delhi and they are getting land someplace else," Parameshwar submitted..A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra in March had held that the AAP was unlawfully occupying the premises since 2015 because the land originally had been allotted to the Delhi High Court.However, considering the elections, the Court had given AAP time till June 15 to vacate the premises.The Court had also permitted AAP to move the Land and Development Office (L&DO) for allotment of new land, with the L&DO being asked to communicate its decision to AAP within four weeks..On a related note, the High Court earlier this month ordered the Central government to take an expeditious decision on providing a temporary office space for the AAP so that the party can carry out its operations..[Read live thread]