SC adjourns hearing on AAP MP Raghav Chadha’s plea to Dec 8

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing on a plea of AAP MP Raghav Chadha challenging his suspension from the Upper House, after it was informed that “something constructive” is likely to happen in the matter.

A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared in the matter on behalf of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, that some progress in the matter is likely.

‘If your lordships can hear this later, you may not have to consider many issues,’ the top law officer said. ‘Do not say anything about this matter ... just wait. Let us have a resolution,’ the bench said and fixed the plea for further consideration on December 8.

Lawyer Shadan Farasat, appearing in the court on behalf of Chadha, raised the issue of the eviction notice received by the Rajya Sabha MP of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with regard to his official bungalow and said that he be protected.

The bench asked Mehta to look into the issue.

Referring to another case related to eviction notices, the solicitor general said, ‘On this (suspension) ground, it would not happen.’ In the eviction case, the Delhi High Court had, on October 17, allowed Chadha to stay on in his government bungalow, setting aside a trial court order evicting him from the accommodation allotted to him in a prime location in the city.

The trial court’s decision had cleared the decks for Chadha’s eviction from the bungalow.

Earlier, the bench had deferred the hearing on Chadha’s plea against suspension to December 1, after it was informed that there was some development on the issue.

Farasat had then said the deadline to send questions to the House for the Winter Session was expiring soon.

On November 3, the top court had told Chadha to tender an unconditional apology over the select committee row to Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar and said the latter may consider it “sympathetically”.

It had taken note of Farasat’s submissions that the first-time and youngest lawmaker from the “House of Elders” was willing to apologise to Dhankhar.

Chadha has been under suspension since August 11 after some MPs, a majority of them from

the ruling BJP, accused him of adding their names to a motion without their consent. The motion sought the constitution of a select committee to examine the contentious Delhi Services Bill.