Raghav Chadha bungalow row: Will fight stay order, says House panel head

First-time MPs are entitled to a Type-V bungalow or flat, while MPs who are former MLAs are entitled to a Type-VI, as per the Rajya Sabha Members’ Handbook. However, the House Committee chairperson can make exceptions, the handbook says. Chadha was in his first-term as an MLA in the Delhi Assembly when he contested and won the Rajya Sabha polls from Punjab in 2022, becoming a first-time MP.

As per the court order granting him the stay, the Rajya Sabha secretariat had first allotted Chadha a Type-VI house in July 2022 and then after he made a representation to the Rajya Sabha chairman, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, a Type-VII bungalow was allotted in lieu in September. In March this year, the secretariat sent a letter to the first-time MP cancelling the allotment of the bungalow to him. This prompted Chadha to move court and get a stay on April 18 against being removed from the bungalow, AB-5, Pandara Road. Ramesh’s term as House Committee chairman started on November 2, 2022, while the previous chairman, O P Mathur, left office in July 2022.

As of now, the matter is pending with the Patiala House court and the next date of hearing is July 10. Chadha had said on Wednesday that the cancellation letter was without any notice and did not contain any reason. He said the allotment was done by the Rajya Sabha chairman. He had no further comments when reached on Thursday