Delhi Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena has given prosecution sanction “illegally” in seven cases and the accused can cite this to quash cases against them, sources at the Chief Minister’s Office said.
The sanction was given against the opinion of the Law Department of the Delhi government, according to the sources.
When contacted, the L-G’s office did not offer to comment.
Last month, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had accused the L-G of issuing prosecution sanctions, bypassing the AAP government.
“Under Section 196 of CrPC, a prosecution sanction is required to be approved by the State government before initiating trial against persons accused of crimes against the State such as hate crimes, hate speech, hurting religious sentiments etc.,” the source said.
Mr. Sisodia had said the L-G and the Chief Secretary have created a situation where people accused of committing serious crimes against the State might go scot-free. He also said that in the last few months, the Chief Secretary sent files seeking prosecution sanctions directly to the L-G, bypassing the Minister concerned.
