New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench Tuesday extended its interim stay on proceedings against the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with a case against him for allegedly making objectionable remarks in Uttar Pradesh during the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign.
The bench comprising justices M M Sundresh and S V N Bhatti agreed to examine the appeal filed by Kejriwal. “Let the interim order continue. What is all this? These are all irrelevant matters. It is not a matter for us to go into,” said the bench.
Kejriwal has been accused of promoting enmity between classes in connection with elections under section 125 of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1951
The AAP leader moved the apex court challenging the order of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, which refused to discharge him in the criminal case pending before a trial court at Sultanpur.
Kejriwal’s plea said he had not referred to any religion or caste but only a political party. He added that a political party cannot be considered as a class of citizens for the purposes of Section 125 of the RP Act.
Kejriwal’s plea has questioned whether a case under Section 125 can be made out without there being any video clip or full transcript of the alleged speech made by him.
In May 2014, Kejriwal had allegedly said, during the campaign, “Jo Congress ko vote dega, mera manana hoga, desh ke saath gaddari hogi…. Joh Bhajapa (BJP) ko vote dega use khuda bhi maaf nahin karega (Those who will vote for the Congress will be betraying the nation, and God will not forgive those who will vote for the BJP).”
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