Chief Secretary case: Kejriwal to face conspiracy charge, AAP slams conspiracy

Delhi Police is likely to charge Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia with conspiracy in the alleged assault of Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by two AAP MLAs, said police sources. The ruling AAP slammed the case as politically motivated.

According to the police sources, the charge sheet will "most probably" be filed at Tis Hazari Court here in the first week of July.

Terming it a politically motivated case, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that this is a conspiracy to defame the Delhi Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister.

"Delhi Police has been planting all kinds of fictitious stories since the last four months. The truth is that a conspiracy was hatched by the police and Prakash to defame CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in a bid to destabilise the elected state government," AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj told the media.

Prakash, who had gone to attend a late night "emergency" meeting called by Kejriwal at his residence in Civil Lines on February 19, had alleged that he was assaulted by Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Amanutullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal.

The timing of the CCTV cameras installed at Kejriwal's residence was tampered, according to the police.

The two MLAs were arrested a day after the allegation was made and were later released on bail.

Kejriwal and Sisodia were interrogated separately by police last month for calling the meeting late in the night and for the "tampering" with the cameras.

Bhardwaj however claimed that no incidence of violence took place on the night of February 19 at the Delhi CM's residence and that "CCTV tampering allegation has proved to be false".

"Delhi Polce has been unable to answer a simple question that if the Chief Secretary was assaulted, then how was it that in the CCTV footage he was seen walking normally out of the CM residence.

"The Chief Secretary - a person with close links with senior BJP leaders - instead of going to the police, went straight to Raj Niwas at 12.30 p.m., where the Lt. Governor, along with Delhi Police Commissioner were already waiting for him to implicate the CM and dozen AAP MLAs in a fabricated case," Bhardwaj alleged.

He further went on to say that it is a matter of shame for the the Delhi Police has allowed itself to be a "spineless political arm of the Central government".

"AAP won't be cowed down by such repressive measures and will strongly contest the bogus police chargesheet as and when it will be filed in the court.

"The party will expose the conspiracy against itself before the people," he said.

--IANS

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