Premium

Congress moves HC seeking execution of sale deed for former HQ at Jantar Mantar Road

The AICC, in possession of the property since 1946, had also paid over Rs 6.10 lakh to the Government of India for purchase of the property in 1959.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 15, 2026 01:04 PM IST

In 1977, Janata Dal allied with Desai’s Congress (O), and the building became the headquarters of Janata Dal. (Express file photo)

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought response from the Centre and the Delhi government to a plea by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) seeking its direction to execute a sale/conveyance deed in favour of the Indian National Congress (INC) for a bungalow at 7, Jantar Mantar Road, which has earlier served as the party’s headquarters more than six decades ago.

The AICC, in possession of the property since 1946, that evolved as a nerve centre of political activities and was frequented by former PM Jawaharlal Nehru, had also paid over Rs 6.10 lakh to the Government of India for purchase of the property in 1959. The INC had shifted its base here after relocating from Allahabad following India’s Independence, maintaining the property as its official headquarter until 1969.

However, in 1969, during the split of the INC, owing to a power tussle between Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi, it became the headquarters of the Desai-led faction, and remained so till 1977. In 1977, Janata Dal allied with Desai’s Congress (O), and it became the headquarters of Janata Dal. At the time of the split, some of the outhouses on the premises were occupied by tenants and in 1970, the AICC requested the Centre that the tenants be evicted and vacant possession of the property be given to it before the execution of the sale deed.

However the sale deed could not be executed despite the payment made in May 1959 on account of the Congress party split as dispute remained over factions laying claim to the property.

Must Read | From political activity to crime scene: What ‘White House’ on Jantar Mantar Road has witnessed over the decades

In 2014, the Supreme Court finally held that all the properties and funds of the Indian National Congress, before its split in 1969, would belong to the Indira Gandhi-led Congress faction, that is the AICC.

In 2017, the party wrote to the Land and Building department of the Delhi government, requesting execution of conveyance/sale deed for the property, against the payment of Rs 6.10 lakh in 1959. However, till date, Congress claims, the government has neither responded nor initiated any step for the sale deed, despite repeated representations and submissions of necessary documents.

On Thursday the matter was taken up before Justice Purushaindra Kaurav. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Congress, requested the court to grant interim relief by directing the authorities to not allot the property to “anybody else” pending final adjudication or execution of the sale deed.

Story continues below this ad

Justice Kaurav, however, orally remarked, “Mr Singhvi let me tell you, I have doubt regarding maintainability (of this petition in writ jurisdiction), therefore if you want to press for any interim relief, you have to satisfy that the petition is maintainable…you perhaps will have to file a civil suit…it appears that (you have filed this petition) to wriggle out of the limitation aspect (that will come in the way of a civil suit as well).”

The Centre and its standing counsel Ashish Dixit too raised the ground of maintainability before the court.

The court however issued notice to the Centre, and Delhi’s Land and Building department, seeking their responses on the contentions being raised in the petition. It will hear the matter next on September 14.

Sohini Ghosh

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

Tags:
Congress
delhi

Loading Recommendations...

Jun 07: Latest News

Live Blog