In what could be a fresh spell of trouble for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a Magistrate in Goa on Saturday ordered State police to conduct a preliminary enquiry into a non cognizant complaint filed by an ECI-appointed official last year, accusing the AAP leader luring voters in a poll campaign speech to accept money from rival parties, but vote for his party.
Hearing an application filed in December last year, by Gurudas Dessai then returning officer under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission of India, Judicial Magistrate First Class Shantshri Kudchadkar for Mapusa town on Saturday, directed the officials of the Mapusa police station to conduct the initial enquiry, while handing over the non cognizable complaint, case details, as well as a CD containing Kejriwal's speech to the police.
In January 2017, during the run up to the State assembly elections in Goa, where AAP was contesting in 39 seats, Kejriwal during an election campaign rally in Mapusa town last year, had exhorted voters to accept money from rival political parties, but vote for the Aam Aadmi Party instead.
Following a complaint by the Bharatiya Janata Party against the AAP leaders comment, the returning officer had filed a complaint with the Mapusa police station in February last year, which was registered as a non conisable complaint.
In December last year however, Dessai, now a deputy collector with the state government, approached the Court seeking that the non cognisable complaint be upgraded to a First Information Report with cognisable sections 171 B (inducement) and 171 E (bribery) of the Indian Penal Code.