AAP flays Goa govt over Kejri case
BJP- led state govt pressuring election officials, claims party
Panaji, Feb. 7: The Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) on Wednesday accused the BJP- led government in Goa of pressuring election officials to file an FIR against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with his bribery remarks.
The Judicial Magistrate First Class ( JMFC) in Mapusa has issued a notice to Mr Kejriwal, who is also AAP national convener, on a complaint filed against him for his bribery remarks made during the Goa Assembly polls held last year.
The next hearing in the case is due on February 8. The complaint was lodged by local Election Commission officials with the police in Mapusa town, 9km from here.
Goa AAP convener Elvis Gomes told reporters that election officials had filed the FIR against Mr Kejriwal under pressure from the BJP- led government.
He recalled the Election Commission of India ( ECI) had issued directives to its local officials in this regard.
“We ( AAP) had filed a petition against the directives before the Delhi high court, which is still being heard. During a hearing in November last year, the lawyer representing the ECI had submitted that an FIR had already been filed against Mr Kejriwal,” Gomes said.
“But when we sought information under the RTI, we got the reply that none of the police station has filed the FIR. At least till January no FIR had been filed,” he said.
On February 2, when the petition came up for hearing in the HC, the AAP submitted the information obtained under the RTI Act, the AAP leader said.
“The lawyer who had claimed that an FIR has been filed against Mr Kejriwal withdrew his statement. The next hearing in the matter will be held on February 26,” Mr Gomes said.