The Congress party has remained in "unauthorised occupation" of its former headquarters at 24, Akbar Road in New Delhi since June 26, 2013, according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply accessed by India Today. The government also said it has not received any rent for the property since the allotment was cancelled. It added that the party's outstanding dues are "under review and yet to be determined."

The RTI reply came from the Directorate of Estates under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It stated that the government allotted Bungalow No. 24, Akbar Road to the Congress party on August 7, 1992. The Directorate later cancelled the allotment with effect from June 26, 2013. However, the Congress has continued to occupy the property after the cancellation.

The Directorate of Estates confirmed that it has not received any rent for the bungalow since June 26, 2013. The RTI reply also stated that the Congress party's outstanding dues remain "under review and yet to be determined." The government has not yet assessed the final amount that it may recover from the party.

The RTI applicant also asked for copies of notices, if any, that the government issued to the Congress party asking it to vacate the bungalow. The Directorate of Estates did not provide the documents. It said such records are not maintained in a compiled form. The department also stated that collecting the information would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority under Section 7(9) of the RTI Act.

The latest RTI reply gains importance in the light of an earlier response accessed by India Today in 2018. That reply had stated that the licence fee for 24, Akbar Road was revised to Rs 3,920 per month with effect from July 1, 2017. It had also included the 2013 cancellation letter issued to the Congress party. The same reply had noted that the Congress had requested permission to retain the bungalow and sought payment at the normal licence fee. The government had said that the request was under consideration at the time.

The RTI application also sought details about 11, Ashoka Road, the former headquarters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Directorate of Estates confirmed that the government allotted the bungalow to the BJP on March 21, 1985.

The Directorate further stated that 11, Ashoka Road now forms part of the Lok Sabha Members' Pool. It said the request for information on rent collection and the details of the entity paying rent had been transferred to the Lok Sabha Secretariat. The RTI reply also stated that the BJP's outstanding dues towards the government, if any, are "under review and yet to be determined."

An earlier RTI reply accessed by India Today in 2019 had stated that the BJP continued to occupy 11, Ashoka Road as its party office. Another RTI response, filed in 2018, had also mentioned that the prescribed licence fee for the bungalow was revised to Rs 3,920 per month with effect from July 1, 2017.

The latest RTI disclosures have once again brought attention to the occupancy status of two prominent political party headquarters in Lutyens' Delhi. While the Congress continues to occupy its former headquarters despite the cancellation of its allotment in 2013, the government has stated that no rent has been received for the property during this period. At the same time, the authorities have said that the outstanding dues of both the Congress and the BJP are still "under review and yet to be determined."