Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MlA Akhilesh Tripathi was held on Thursday in a 2013 case of rioting and criminal intimidation and sent to judicial custody for two days by a Delhi court — the fifth lawmaker of the ruling party to be arrested.
In pursuance of non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against Tripathi by the court earlier for his non-appearance, he was brought by police to the court which sent him to jail till November 28.
Metropolitan Magistrate Kapil Kumar ordered that the MlA, an accused in the 2013 rioting case, be taken into custody while noting his conduct of not complying with court’s order directing him to appear. The court had earlier issued NBW against the Model Town MlA for his non-appearance before it in the case.
In 2013, an FIR was registered against Tripathi, Rahul Kumar, Vikas Mandal, Inder Vikram Singh and Kanhaiya Kumar Jha for alleged offences under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 323 (causing simple hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. They had gathered at G T Karnal Road near lal Bagh Azadpur and entered into a quarrel with complainant Bittu Jha. The FIR registered at Adarsh Nagar Police Station in North West Delhi said during the altercation, the accused allegedly assaulted the complainant in which he sustained injuries.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North West) Vijay Singh said the MlA “has been arrested and taken into custody in pursuance to court order.” AAP MlAs, who were arrested earlier, included Commando Surinder Singh, from Delhi Cantonment. Singh was arrested in August for allegedly assaulting an NDMC employee and was later granted bail.
Former Delhi law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar was held in a fake educational degree case in June and Kondli legislator Manoj Kumar was apprehended in July in connection with a land fraud case.
AAP MlA Somnath Bharti was arrested in September after he surrendered in attempt to murder and domestic violence case filed by his wife.
Reports show that as many as 22 AAP MlAs are facing charges. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Transport Minister Gopal Rai, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and Deputy Speaker Bandana Kumari are also in the dock. The list also includes three former Ministers, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Rakhi Birlan and Somnath Bharati.
The Delhi Government had earlier sought withdrawal of the 35 cases involving Kejriwal, Sisodia, Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra and Birlan. The files related to their cases were reportedly sent to lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who refused to give his approval saying such a step would send a wrong signal to the people.
The most important cases recommended for withdrawal were the one’s which had been registered against Kejriwal and his team when he held a dharna outside the Rail Bhawan seeking action against police officers for not acting against South African citizens in Khirki Village way back in 2013.
The committee has also recommended withdrawal of cases against the AAP leaders which had been filed while they had been agitating during their India Against Corruption movement in the city.
CM Arvind Kejriwal had early this month complained against the Delhi Police to the MHA accusing it of trying to “hound” ruling AAP MlAs by reopening old cases and creating new ones against them.