Delhi court set to hear chief secy assault case on January 30

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday said it would hear on January 30 the chief secretary assault case in which chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia have been named as accused.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Samar Vishal was told by the counsel for Kejriwal, Sisodia and other AAP leaders that they have not been provided with complete documents annexed with the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police.

The court asked the counsel for Aam Aadmi Party leaders and police to complete the process of scrutiny of documents by January 30.

The criminal case relates to an alleged assault on the then Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash during a meeting at Kejriwal’s official residence on February 19.

Prakash was recently transferred and posted as additional secretary in the department of telecommunications.

Kejriwal and Sisodia had earlier approached the Delhi high court challenging the trial court’s order permitting two other advocates to conduct the prosecution on behalf of a Delhi Police officer, instead of a regular public prosecutor attached to the court concerned.

The high court has sought response of the Delhi government, the police and Prakash on the plea.

The additional chief metropolitan magistrate, in an October 22 order, had said let the Delhi Police commissioner assign the prosecution of this case to some officer not below the rank of additional commissioner of police.

On October 25, Kejriwal, Sisodia and nine other AAP MLAS were granted bail by the trial court in the case.

The other two MLAS, Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal, who are also accused in the case, were earlier arrested in the case and granted bail by the high court.