Arvind Kejriwal again skipped a Sonipat court hearing over his viral statement on Yamuna water. He allegedly said, “The Haryana government has mixed poison in the water of the Yamuna River.”
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HARYANA: A legal case has been registered against former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal by officials of the Irrigation Department. This case is related to a controversial statement he made about the water in the Yamuna River.
The matter is currently being heard in a Sonipat court, but Kejriwal did not appear in court on the scheduled date. Because of his absence, the next court hearing is now fixed for May 31.
Although Arvind Kejriwal himself did not come to the Sonipat court, his lawyer appeared and argued on his behalf. The AAP lawyer told the court that the case should be shifted and heard in a special court instead. This information was shared by Pawan Atrai, who is a government lawyer representing the state in Sonipat.
Since Kejriwal did not show up in court again, BJP leader Mohan Badoli criticized his behavior and gave a strong statement.
He said,
“If this is how Kejriwal will continue to disrespect the court, the Sonipat court will even then send him to jail.”
It is important to note that this was not the first time Kejriwal skipped a hearing. He was also absent on the very first hearing of the case, which took place on February 17. During that time, his place in court was taken by Sanjeev Nasir, who is the head of AAP’s legal cell and also the Vice President of the Bar Council of Delhi.
In that hearing, Sanjeev Nasir told the court that he had not received any evidence related to the case along with the court notice. On hearing this, the court gave him the related material, including a video, through a pen drive. After receiving the evidence, Kejriwal’s legal team has now submitted a formal reply in the court.
The case was filed by Ashish Kaushik, who works as the Executive Engineer in the Rai Water Services Division. He filed the complaint on behalf of the State Disaster Management Authority. The complaint said that many local villagers living near the Yamuna River had gathered in the premises of the Irrigation Department. These villagers were very angry and started questioning why the Haryana Government had allegedly added poison to the Yamuna River.
According to the complaint, when officials asked the villagers where they got this information from, the people showed them a video clip that had gone viral on social media. In this video, Arvind Kejriwal is seen saying,
“The Haryana government has mixed poison in the water of the Yamuna River.”
Because of this statement, a case was officially filed against Kejriwal.
PREVIOUSLY IN SONIPAT COURT
The case is related to his statement calling Yamuna water poisonous and accusing the Haryana government of supplying unsafe water to Delhi.
During the hearing on Monday, Kejriwal did not appear in person. Instead, his legal team represented him in court. The case was heard by Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Neha Goyal.
Kejriwal’s lawyers informed the court that they had received the summons but needed access to the documentary and material evidence provided by the complainant. In response, the state prosecutor told the court that digital copies of the evidence and video footage of Kejriwal’s statements were already given to his legal team on a pen drive.
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After hearing both sides, CJM Neha Goyal set the next hearing date for March 20 and ordered Kejriwal to appear in person to submit his reply.
The case is based on allegations that Kejriwal falsely accused the Haryana government of providing poisonous water to Delhi. He even claimed that there was a “mass genocide conspiracy” against Delhi residents, allegedly led by the BJP government in Haryana. His statement sparked a major political controversy, drawing strong reactions from Haryana’s Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and BJP leaders.
To counter Kejriwal’s allegations, CM Nayab Singh Saini visited Palla village on January 29, the point where Yamuna enters Delhi. During his visit, Saini publicly drank water from the river to prove that the water was safe. He also presented test reports that, according to him, disproved Kejriwal’s claims.
On the same day, Ashish Kumar, an executive engineer in the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, which oversees SDMA, filed a criminal complaint against Kejriwal. The complaint alleged that Kejriwal’s statements were politically motivated and aimed at gaining an advantage in the Delhi elections.
ALSO READ: Arvind Kejriwal Meets AAP MLAs | Vows to Hold BJP Accountable After Delhi Election Defeat
The court had originally scheduled the hearing for February 17 and had issued summons for Kejriwal’s appearance on that date.
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