A Delhi court on Thursday, 25 October, granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders for allegedly assaulting Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, reported ANI. The court has set the next date for the scrutiny of documents on 7 December.
In September, the court had summoned Kejriwal, Sisodia and 11 AAP lawmakers in the case.
The Chief Secretary of Delhi had in February this year alleged that he was manhandled by AAP MLAs during a meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence. Prakash had registered a case against Kejriwal, Sisodia and other MLAs for assault.
In a complaint to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Prakash had said he was called for a meeting on 19 February 2018 by the chief minister regarding the issue of advertisements that had not been released.
The Aam Aadmi Party, however, had said Prakash had been called for a discussion on rations.
Prakash had told the Lt Governor he was made to sit between AAP leader Amanatullah and another MLA. “The CM directed me to answer the MLAs and explain the reason for delay in release of TV campaign,” he wrote in the complaint.
He had alleged he was abused for “not doing enough for publicity of the government,” when suddenly he was assaulted without any provocation with “several blows” on his head.
“I was in a state of shock,” he wrote, adding that “none of the persons present in the room made any efforts to save me”.
The Aam Aadmi Party had publicly denied charges against its leaders and called the police action “politically motivated”.
The incident had sparked another round of tussle between the AAP-led government and the Centre, with bureaucrats reportedly boycotting Cabinet meetings with Delhi ministers.
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