Arvind Kejriwal acquitted in 2014 rally case

Mumbai: A special additional chief metropolitan magistrate court, designated to hear all cases related to elections registered against MPs, MLAs and municipal corporators in Mumbai, on Friday acquitted Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Govindram Kejriwal, Meera Sanyal, Medha Patkar and five other members of AAP from charges of holding a rally in Mankhurd without requisite permissions during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Pankaj Deshpande conducted trial against all eight accused and passed judgment on Friday, acquitting them, including Mr Kejriwal, Ms Sanyal and Ms Patkar from the case.

Magistrate Deshpande in his judgment observed that there were irregularities in the police probe and one of the irregularities was that there was delay in recording the statements of witnesses. The magistrate also observed that the police did not produce any electronic evidence to prove charges against the accused and there was no written communication to the accused about denial of permission.

The case was filed in 2015 at Mankhurd police station under sections 37 (1), 34, 135 (3), 33 (1) (R), (3), and 131 of the Maharashtra Police Act. The rally in Mankhurd, in north-east Mumbai, was held as part of the poll campaign of AAP candidate Meera Sanyal and Medha Patkar.

Initially, charges were framed against all eight accused by a magistrate in the Kurla court however, the Law and Judiciary department issued a notification on February 27, 2018 and notified court number 25 in Mazagaon to try the criminal cases against the elected MPs, MLAs or MLCs, pending before the metropolitan magistrates courts in Mumbai. Following this notification, the case against Mr Kejriwal and others was transferred to Mazagaon court in March 2018. All the accused except Ms Patkar were present in the courtroom.

Dramatic proceedings

There was high drama when Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal visited the Mazagaon court. As soon as AAP members learnt that Mr Kejriwal was reaching court, they put up two hoardings outside the court and donned the signature AAP cap. Mr Kejriwal reached court in a black Honda, accompanied by Preeti Sharma Menon. He entered the court greeting everybody with folded hands. Inside the courtroom, as soon as the judge pronounced him not guilty, AAP members started clapping and had to be told to stop. Before entering the courtroom, Mr Kejriwal was invited to the bar room, where he met the lawyers practising in this court.