Warrant against Kejri for tweet on Modi’s qualification
A court in Assam has issued an arrest warrant against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after he failed to appear before it in a defamation case over his tweet on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s education qualifications.
The bailable warrant is the latest in a series of troubles that the Aam Aadmi Party leader finds himself in over his utterances. He is being tried for defamation in a Delhi court in a case filed by finance minister Arun Jaitley.
On Monday, judicial magistrate Naba Kumar Deka Baruah in Diphu in Karbi Anglong district issued the warrant against the AAP chief after a no-show on April 7. “Modiji 12 pass hain. Uske baad ki degree farzi hai (Narendra Modi is only 12th pass and all other succeeding degrees are fake),” Kejriwal tweeted on December 15.
A few days later, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council member Surjo Rongphar, who is also with the BJP, filed a case against Kejriwal, accusing him of making defamatory remarks.
Kejriwal’s lawyer Gurpreet Singh Uppal said the chief minister was busy with the April 23 Delhi civic elections and it was not possible for him to be present in person in the court.
“On perusal of records, it reveals that the accused (Kejriwal) has not appeared before the court on the earlier occasion on January 30, too, availing adjournment for two months. Considering this, the petition of Gurpreet Singh Uppal is rejected,” the court said.
Kejriwal has been demanding Modi’s college and university certificates be made public, alleging that the Prime Minister had furnished wrong information about his education. The Prime Minister’s Office and government have denied the charge. The case will now be heard on May 8.
The Congress, however, used the warrant to ask Modi why he was so “secretive” about his education. “Don’t People of India have a right to know educational qualification of their Prime Minister? What is so secret about it,” party leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted on Tuesday.
The Centre has told the Delhi Development Authority that the process for regularisation of farm houses here be stopped immediately until amendments to the regularising policy are notified, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
According to DDA, as per the clause of Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021, the villages containing existing farm houses clusters are notified as Low Density Residential Area (LDRA) and the policy of LDRA has already been notified, Union minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said.
He was responding in a written reply to a question on the status of farm houses in the national capital.
“The North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations have informed that no new permission for construction of farm houses has been granted after the gazette notification... of DDA regarding LDRA.
“The East Delhi Municipal Corporation has informed that there is no farm house in their jurisdiction,” Ahir said.
The Union minister further informed the Lower House that the amendments in the LDRA provisions of MPD 2021 and Regularisation and Regulation of Existing Farm Houses dated have been processed by DDA as per relevant provisions under Delhi Development Act, 1957 and have been forwarded to the Union Ministry of Urban Development, for consideration.
“The MoUD has conveyed to the DDA that the process for regularisation be stopped immediately until amendments to the regularising policy are notified with the approval of Competent Authority,” he said.
Don’t People of India have a right to know educational qualification of their Prime Minister? What is so secret about it.