A Delhi court on Friday framed charges of rioting and violating prohibitory orders against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and two other AAP leaders in the 2014 Rail Bhavan agitation case.
Former Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla and former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti were also charged. However, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal discharged AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and former leader of the party Ashutosh.
“It is ordered that charges be framed against accused Sh. Arvind Kejriwal, Sh. Manish Sisodia, Ms. Rakhi Birla and Sh. Somnath Bharti for commission of offence under Sections 143 [being member of an unlawful assembly], 145 [joining and continuing in an unlawful assembly, 188 [disobedience of an order] IPC and under Sections 147 [rioting], 186 [obstructing public servant], 353 [assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant] and 332 [voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant] IPC read with Section 149 [if an offence be committed by any member of an unlawful assembly, every other member of such assembly shall be guilty of offence] IPC,” he said.
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In its chargesheet, the police had claimed that on January 19, 2014, prohibitory orders had been imposed in North Block, South Block, Vijay Chowk areas near Rail Bhavan and Parliament Street. Despite this, the six AAP leaders had assembled there, defying the prohibitory orders, it said.
When the policemen tried to stop them, the leaders instigated their supporters and they manhandled the cops, stated the chargesheet.