The Supreme Court on Tuesday exempted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from appearing before an Amethi court in connection with an inflammatory speech given by him in the run up to the lok Sabha polls in 2014.
The AAP leader, who was summoned by a magisterial court in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh had failed to get relief from Allahabad High Court that dismissed his petition seeking exemption from appearance on August 27.
Modifying the HC order, the apex bench of Justices J Chelameswar and AM Sapre said, “The attendance of the petitioner (Kejriwal) in the trial court is dispensed with till further orders.” The order came as a big relief for the Delhi CM who was to appear in the trial court on Wednesday.
Kejriwal was named an accused in a FIR lodged at Amethi for making an inflammatory speech during an election rally in May 2014. Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who appeared for the AAP leader, showed several judgments of High Courts giving discretion to the accused to appear through a lawyer.