The Delhi BJP on Friday called on Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal for his “urgent intervention” to end the “deliberate delay” by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in granting requisite sanction to prosecute former JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a 2016 sedition case.
The delegation, led by Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Vijender Gupta, expressed concern that “inordinate, deliberate and planned delay by the Delhi government” is not only causing “miscarriage of justice” but is also “leading to loss of faith” among the people in the judicial process at Delhi-government level.
“I submitted to the L-G that it was of utmost urgency to allow the law to take its own course without maligning the judicial process with political exigencies. The delegation asserted that it is essential that the sanction is given at the earliest so that the Delhi Police could place it on record for consideration of the honourable court on the next date of hearing,” Mr. Gupta said.
According to the Opposition, the delegation submitted to the L-G that despite the court observing on February 6, 2019, that “the court’s precious time is being wasted” as the decision to grant sanction hangs fire, the Chief Minister was “behaving in a manner and style highly unbecoming of a Chief Minister”.
Mr. Kejriwal, the delegation submitted, “hardly appears to share the court’s concern” for expeditious disposal of the sanction.
“He [Mr. Kejriwal] clearly stated on February 7 that the Delhi Police took three years to file the chargesheet and the Delhi government’s Home Department will also take time to study it. There seems to be tacit support to the accused in the case, who were seen indulging in anti-national activities on a university campus in the heart of the city,” Mr. Gupta said.
Given the circumstances, Mr. Gupta said, the BJP delegation urged the Lieutenant-Governor to “exercise his special powers and call the file in the matter”.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari accused Mr. Kejriwal of “deliberately protecting Kanhaiya Kumar and other accused persons on the pretext of studying the chargesheet”, which illustrated that he was “creating hurdles in the judicial process for an atmosphere of anarchy”.
‘Condemnable conduct’
“The conduct of Mr. Kejriwal, who is an elected representative of Delhi and occupying a constitutional position, is condemnable. By protecting the gang wanting to split the country, he has betrayed the people of Delhi. The BJP will continue its efforts to ensure that the persons involved in anti-national activities are sternly punished,” said the BJP MP from North-East Delhi.
