The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notices to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and law Minister Somnath Bharti on separate pleas of two BJP leaders seeking to declare their election as void on the ground that they exceeded the poll expense limit of Rs14 lakh each.
Justice Vipin Sanghi sought response from Kejriwal on plea by former Delhi BJP President Vijender Gupta who had unsuccessfully fought the Assembly election against Kejriwal from New Delhi constituency. In a separate petition by former Delhi mayor Arti Mehra, Justice GS Sistani issued notice to Bharti for allegedly not complying with the provisions of the Representation of People Act (RP Act) and had spent more than Rs14 lakh during his election campaign in the Malviya Nagar Assembly seat.
The single judge benches asked the Aam Aadmi Party leaders to file their responses within four weeks and fixed the matters for hearing on February 25.
The BJP leaders have said in their petition that Kejriwal and Bharti had indulged in corrupt practices and incurred huge expenditure during campaigning. “The total actual expenses incurred by the Aam Aadmi Party, on the account of concert, is Rs94.80 lakh
which has been highly underestimated by the respondent (Kejriwal) and the Aam Aadmi Party as Rs14.72 lakh,” the petition said, accusing both the AAP leaders of having violated the Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission of India, the provisions of the RP Act and also the principles of the Constitution regarding free and fair elections.