Rahul Gandhi applied for vacating his official residence after he was disqualified as a member of parliament

A file photo of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing the media at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday, March 25, 2023. Mr. Gandhi was served with an eviction notice from his official bungalow by the Housing Committee of the Lok Sabha. | Photo credit: RV MOORTHY

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was asked to leave his official residence on Monday after he was disqualified as a member of Parliament.

The Lok Sabha Housing Committee has sent a letter to the Congress leader asking him to vacate his 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow by April 22. BJP MP CR Patil is the chairman of the housing committee.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified Mr. Gandhi on March 24 following his conviction and two-year sentence by a Gujarat local court in a defamation case. Under Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which governs the disqualification of a legislator, the moment an MP is convicted of any crime and sentenced to a term of not less than two years, he is disqualified.

A letter sent by the housing committee’s deputy secretary on Monday said he can keep the bungalow until April 22 and the accommodation allocation is considered canceled with effect from March 23, the day the court order came down condemning him.

According to the rules, a disqualified MP is not entitled to government accommodation and has a one-month deadline to leave his official residence.

However, sources said Mr Gandhi may ask the Housing Board for an extension, a possible scenario in case he decides to appeal the verdict in a higher court, reversing his conviction.

Congressional sources said an appeal challenging the conviction and sentence was likely to be filed soon.

Allocation of central government accommodation is done through the General Pool Accommodation Act (GPRA) under the administrative control of the Parliamentary Estates Directorate.

Published – 27 March 2023 18:41 IST