The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the appeal of the Delhi Police against the Delhi High Court order directing it to provide witness statement copy to accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the case of assault on then Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.
“It is the basic principle of natural justice. It is common sense that the accused must have the copy. It might be a political hot potato, but legally, it is nothing. It is not worth lingering on this matter,” said the apex Court ratifying the High Court order.
“Once a statement is recorded, what is about not giving copy of the statement,” asked Justice DY Chandrachud, rejecting Delhi’s Police appeal, noting that the statement was not oral but recorded in the case diary.
Justice Chandrachud reiterated to ASG Aman Lekhi that the accused have all the right to get the statement of witness. “The purpose of criminal justice administration is not to convict the people but to allow criminal justice to run a fair course. Leave it there, there is nothing in the matter,” Justice Chandchud observed while rejecting the Delhi Police appeal not to grant witnesses statement to the Delhi Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, who are charged as accused for assaulting the then Chief Secretary at the Chief Minister’s residence in the night of February 19,2018.