Delhi CM Kejriwal, deputy Sisodia move HC against order in chief secretary assault case

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia on Tuesday moved the Delhi high court, challenging their prosecution by a trial court in the alleged assault of former chief secretary Anshu Prakash at a midnight meeting at the CM’s residence.

They also challenged the order permitting two advocates to conduct the prosecution on behalf of the officer of Delhi Police, instead of regular public prosecutor.

The matter, which was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V Kameswar Rao, is likely to be heard on November 22 by Justice Najmi Waziri.

In their pleas, the CM and his deputy sought directions to set aside the order of the additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) and that the prosecution in the case be conducted by the public prosecutor.

“The impugned order is otherwise based on conjunctures and surmises and is liable to be set aside,” the petition claimed.

The petition challenged the appointment of advocates Siddharth Aggarwal and V Madhukar, rather than a regular public prosecutor.

On October 22, the trial court had allowed Prakash’s plea, seeking direction to conduct the prosecution through the counsel nominated by Delhi Police and not through lawyers empanelled by the AAP government.

Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against 13 accused, based on a complaint filed by Prakash. In his complaint, Prakash had said he was assaulted at a midnight meeting at the CM’s residence on the intervening night of February 19-20.

On October 25, Kejriwal, Sisodia and nine other AAP MLAs were granted bail by the trial court in the assault case.