Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his Deputy Manish Sisodia and three other AAP leaders appeared before a court here on Friday in a case of alleged violation of prohibitory orders when they had organised a sit-in outside the Rail Bhawan in January last year.
They had organised the dharna to seek action against some Delhi Police personnel for not carrying out a raid as requested by the then Delhi Law Minister and now MLA of the party, Somnath Bharti, at a rented accommodation in South Delhi where, they had alleged, a drug and prostitution racket was being allegedly run.
Mr. Kejriwal appeared before Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain along with Mr. Bharti. He is also an accused in the case.
The court recorded the attendance of Mr. Kejriwal and permitted him to go.
About one-and-a-half hour later, Mr. Sisodia, party’s MLA Rakhi Bidlan and senior leader Ashutosh also appeared before the court. However, AAP’s national spokesperson Sanjay Singh failed to appear. The court, however, exempted him from personal appearance based on a request made by his lawyer.
All the six leaders of the party are accused in the case. The case will now come up for hearing on August 4.
The police have chargesheeted them under Sections 145 (joining and continuing in an unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The chargesheet said that on January 19 last year, prohibitory orders had been promulgated in North Block, South Block, Vijay Chowk and areas around Rail Bhawan and Parliament Street. On the next day, Mr. Kejriwal and the other AAP leaders assembled at the Rail Bhawan round-about in violation of the prohibitory orders, the chargesheet alleged.
Mr. Kejriwal had also allegedly threatened to go to the then Home Minister’s office in his car, the chargesheet further alleged.
