New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to remove a video of her husband addressing the court. This order extends to social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
The issue arose from a petition alleging violations of video conferencing rules when Mr Kejriwal was in police custody following his arrest in the alleged liquor policy scam. The petition claimed that Mrs Kejriwal, along with social media accounts of AAP and some opposition parties, shared a video of Mr Kejriwal’s court proceedings online.
In the video, Mr. Kejriwal passionately defends himself, accusing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of attempting to “crush” his party. He emphasised that despite extensive investigations by the CBI and ED, no bribes allegedly received by AAP had been recovered. Given the lack of proven charges against him, he questioned the rationale behind his arrest.
Mr Kejriwal highlighted inconsistencies in the statements from witnesses who turned approvers, suggesting they were coerced. He alleged bias in the way the court considered only the accusations against him.
The ED arrested Mr. Kejriwal on March 21, accusing him of orchestrating a scam related to the allocation of liquor sales licenses, supposedly benefiting from bribes amounting to at least ₹100 crore. These funds were allegedly used to finance AAP’s election campaigns in Goa and Punjab.
Mr. Kejriwal spent over 50 days in jail, amidst claims and counterclaims about his health and treatment. The ED accused him of manipulating his medical condition to obtain bail, while the Chief Minister alleged he was denied necessary medication.
The Supreme Court eventually granted Mr. Kejriwal interim bail, allowing him to participate in campaigning for his party during the national elections. During his incarceration, Mrs. Kejriwal and AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj became the faces of the party, with Mrs. Kejriwal delivering a notable speech at a rally.
Mrs. Kejriwal’s involvement led to speculation about her potential full-time entry into politics, especially with the upcoming Delhi Assembly election. However, Mr. Kejriwal clarified that she is not interested in active politics despite her recent appearances.
