NEW DELHI, August 11: A special Court on Wednesday discharged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and nine Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders in a controversial case of alleged assault on former Chief Secretary of Delhi, Anshu Prakash.
However, the court has ordered to frame charges against two AAP leaders – Amantullah Khan (MLA – Okhla) and Prakash Jarwal (MLA- Deoli) in the case.
A special MP/MLA court, presided over by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sachin Gupta at Rouse Avenue court, pronounced the discharge order on Wednesday.
Soon after the order was pronounced by the court, senior AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia called it the victory of truth.
“Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ji discharged by Court in fabricated CS assault case. Satyamav Jayate,” Sisodia tweeted.
AAP’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also reacted on social media after getting a much-needed relief from the court. Kejriwal did not express much but tweeted, “Satyameva Jayate.”
Kejriwal and 12 other AAP leaders were booked in the case under sections 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 323 (Causing hurt), 342 (Punishment for wrongful confinement), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 120-B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy), and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), among others of the Indian Penal Code.
The alleged assault took place on the intervening night of February 19 and 20, 2018 at Kejriwal’s residence, where Prakash was called for a meeting.
Apart from Kejriwal and Sisodia, other AAP leaders who were accused in the case include – Nitin Tyagi, Rituraj Govind, Sanjeev Jha, Ajay Dutt, Rajesh Rishi, Rajesh Gupta, Madan Lal, Parveen Kumar and Dinesh Mohaniya.
In his complaint, then Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash had alleged that AAP MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan had assaulted him in Kejriwal’s home on February 19, 2018.
The police had then questioned multiple AAP legislators who were present when the alleged incident took place, along with Kejriwal and Sisodia.