The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to interfere with the ongoing eviction process at 12 Janpath in the capital to vacate the bungalow occupied by Chirag Paswan, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president and Lok Sabha MP from Jamui in Bihar.
The High Court rejected the plea by Mr. Paswan and his mother Reena Paswan to stay the ongoing eviction process, observing that at this stage it would have to stall the process that had already started.
The Paswans, represented by advocates Lakshay Luthra and Aditya Varun, sought additional time to vacate the premises, saying that the family had lived there for over two decades and hundreds of people were staying there presently.
“This is not your party headquarters...move out. The process has already commenced,” Justice Yashwant Varma observed.
According to a Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry official, the Directorate of Estates is continuing with the eviction process started on March 30.
The bungalow in the capital’s Lutyen area was allotted to the late Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on March 14, 1990, in his capacity as the then Labour Minister, while he had occupied it before that in another capacity, according to the official.
After the senior Paswan’s death on October 8, 2020, the bungalow was allotted to Railways and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in August 2021.
The official said Paswan’s family was eligible to retain the bungalow till November 7, 2020, rent-free and then for another month on payment of the usual licence fee and electricity and water charges. Eviction proceedings were started against the family on January 6, 2021, after it failed to vacate the house, and the eviction order was passed on July 14, 2021, the official said.
The bungalow had not only served as the late Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) founder’s residence, but also as the party office ever since it was founded in 2000. Jamui MP Mr. Chirag Paswan had been trying to establish a museum in his father’s honour at the house.
Mr. Chirag Paswan, being an MP, has been allotted another government accommodation, the official said.
