Rahul Gandhi asked to vacate official residence following disqualification as Member of Parliament

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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 a notice to vacate his official bungalow by the Housing Committee of the Lok Sabha. | Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was, on Monday, asked to vacate his official residence following his disqualification as a Member of Parliament.

A letter was sent to the Congress leader by the Lok Sabha Housing Committee asking him to vacate his 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow by April 22. BJP MP C.R. Patil is the chairperson of the Housing Committee.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat had disqualified Mr. Gandhi on March 24 following his conviction and sentencing for two years by a local court in Gujarat in a defamation case. According to the Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which guides the disqualification of a legislator, the moment a Member of Parliament is convicted of any offence and sentenced for at least two years, she or he attracts disqualification.

The letter sent by the Deputy Secretary of the Housing Committee on Monday said that he could retain the bungalow till April 22 and the allotment of the accommodation has been deemed to have been cancelled with effect from March 23, the day the court order convicting him came.

According to rules, a disqualified MP is not entitled to a government accommodation and gets a one-month period to vacate his official residence.

Sources, however, said Mr. Gandhi can seek an extension from the Housing Committee which is a possible scenario in case he decides to appeal his sentencing in a higher court, which in turn reverses his conviction.

Congress sources said the appeal challenging the conviction and sentencing is likely to be filed shortly.

The allotment of central government accommodations is done through the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) Act under the administrative control of the directorate of estates of the Parliament.