A Haryana court has issued a notice to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding his claims that the BJP poisoned the Yamuna River, prompting panic among residents. Kejriwal is required to appear in court on February 17 to respond to a complaint under the Disaster Management Act, alleging he spread false information.
Sonipat, Haryana: A court in Haryana’s Sonipat has issued a notice to former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal over his remarks accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “poisoning” the Yamuna River.
On Wednesday, Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Goyal sought a reply from Kejriwal and directed him to appear in person before the court on February 17.
“So in view of aforesaid provision, let notice to respondent Arvind Kejriwal be issued for 17.02.2025. He is directed to appear in person before this court on the next date of hearing, if he has to say anything in the matter. If he does not appear before this court on next date of hearing, it is deemed that he has nothing to say in the matter and further proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with law,”
the court stated in its order.
The court was hearing a complaint filed by the State of Haryana, through the State Disaster Management Authority, against Kejriwal under Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The complaint alleged that Kejriwal’s statement about Yamuna being poisoned was false and had caused panic among residents of Delhi and Haryana.
On January 28, a large crowd of villagers from areas near the Yamuna River gathered at the Irrigation Department in Sonipat, demanding an explanation regarding Kejriwal’s claim that the Haryana government had poisoned the river.
When questioned about their source of information, many villagers referred to a video clip circulating on social media, the plea stated.
In the viral clip, Kejriwal was seen alleging that the Haryana government had poisoned the Yamuna River, but Delhi Jal Board officers detected it in time, preventing harm to residents of Delhi.
The complainant, Ashish Kaushik, an Executive Engineer in the Water Services Division, tried to assure the crowd that the claims made in the viral video were false. After repeated efforts to pacify them, the mob eventually dispersed, the plea mentioned.
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The Haryana government alleged that Kejriwal willfully and deliberately made false alarms about the Yamuna’s contamination, which triggered unnecessary panic in the region.
The plea has sought Kejriwal’s prosecution under Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, which deals with spreading false alarms.
Additionally, the case invokes Sections 353 (public mischief) and 356 (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
With the court summoning Kejriwal, all eyes are now on the February 17 hearing, where he will have to personally appear and respond to the allegations.
Read the Order here:
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