24 Akbar Road: Eviction notice breather for Congress

The historic 24 Akbar Road bungalow will remain with the Congress for now, party sources have said, with temporary relief from eviction.

The sources indicated that the party may be allowed to retain the premises for up to six months following "back-channel negotiations". Senior Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Ajay Maken were involved in discussions with government representatives, NH has learnt.

The Congress is also weighing legal options against the eviction order. A team led by Rajya Sabha MP and senior Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi is currently examining the matter.

The Directorate of Estates had issued notices directing the Congress to vacate the iconic premises which functioned as the party’s headquarters for decades. Though the party shifted to its new headquarters Indira Bhawan on 15 January last year, it continued to retain possession of the Akbar Road bungalow.

Located in Lutyens’ Delhi, the property lies adjacent to 10 Janpath, the official residence of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, adding to its political and symbolic significance.

In addition to 24 Akbar Road, the Congress was also asked to vacate the Indian Youth Congress office at 5 Raisina Road and Jawahar Bhavan near the Central Secretariat by 28 March.

Authorities have maintained that Jawahar Bhavan is being used for political purposes. As per Jawahar Bhavan employees, the CPWD had demolished a guard’s porta cabin on the premises. Congress leaders see the move as part of a broader pattern of “vendetta politics”, alleging selective targeting by the BJP-led Union government.

The 24 Akbar Road bungalow has deep historical roots, converted into the AICC headquarters after the party’s defeat in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections. Earlier, it housed Sir Reginald Maxwell, a member of the executive council under Viceroy Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow.

In the early 1960s, the bungalow served as the residence of Daw Khin Kyi, Myanmar’s ambassador to India. Her daughter and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi also spent several years there.

Political watchers say the current dispute also revives questions around the policy framework governing political party offices in Lutyens’ Delhi. As part of a decongestion plan during the tenure of Dr Manmohan Singh's UPA government, parties were allotted land parcels up to four acres, depending on the strength of the party in Parliament. Parties with over 200 MPs were allotted four acres.

Congress leaders argue that the enforcement of these rules now appears selective. Before coming to power in 2014, the BJP operated from its headquarters at 11 Ashoka Road, also situated in Lutyen's Delhi. Though it later shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, it continues to retain the Ashoka Road premises, fuelling the Opposition’s charge of double standards in the ongoing eviction drive.