New Delhi, April 6 -- In an important decision, the Delhi High Court has overturned a 2021 single-judge order which had said that former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's announcement during the COVID-19 lockdown about paying rent for poor tenants was legally enforceable.

A Division Bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla clarified that a statement made during a press conference cannot be treated as a legal promise enforceable by courts. The Bench emphasised that no writ of mandamus can compel the government to implement such an assurance.

The Bench held that the demand to implement the Chief Minister's announcement made on March 29, 2020, is not valid in law and therefore stands rejected. It also pointed out that this ass...