New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and some other AAP leaders, accused in cases relating to alleged unlawful assembly during the protests by Aam Aadmi Party in 2012, were on Saturday exempted from personal appearance by a court in Delhi.
Metropolitan Magistrate Dheeraj Mittal allowed the pleas seeking exemption from personal appearance filed by the lawyer appearing for the AAP leaders after the police did not oppose it.
During the hearing, the court allowed the request of the prosecution seeking time for filing a reply on an application filed by the accused for discharge in the cases lodged against them.
In their application, the accused had claimed that these cases were illegal, "clear abuse of process by police" and were "designed to harass them".
The court has fixed for matter for October 31. Kejriwal and others were chargesheeted for allegedly violating prohibitory orders during the protest and leading a march to the residences of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on coal block allocation scam.
The court was hearing five separate cases lodged in 2012 against various members and top leaders of AAP in connection with the protests staged by them.
They were chargesheeted for various alleged offences relating to rioting, unlawful assembly, use of force to obstruct public servants from discharging their duty and damaging public property during their protests in August 2012.
According to the prosecution, Kejriwal and his supporters, who were protesting at Jantar Mantar on August 26, 2012, had allegedly violated prohibitory orders by marching towards the residences of then Prime Minister, UPA Chairperson and the then BJP President Nitin Gadkari.
Separate FIRs were registered against several accused for various offences including rioting and unlawful assembly during their protests. Out of the five cases, Kejriwal is named as accused in three.
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