Court grants bail to Arvind Kejriwal, 4 others

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and four others were on Friday granted bail by a Delhi court in connection with a case relating to Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) agitation near North block here in January this year. Kejriwal and AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, Somnath Bharti and Ashutosh appeared before Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain in pursuance to the summons issued against them.The court granted them bail on a personal bond of Rs 5,000 each and fixed the matter for further hearing on October 28.

The five accused, along with AAP leader Sanjay Singh, were chargesheeted by the Delhi Police in connection with the case for allegedly violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC and also obstructing public servants in discharge of their official duty. Sanjay Singh did not appear before the court today as summons issued against him had not yet been served.

The police had chargesheeted them under various sections of the IPC, including 145 (joining and continuing in an unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public function), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty).

Kejriwal and other leaders had staged 'dharna' outside Rail Bhavan demanding action against police officials who had refused to carry out a raid on an alleged drug and prostitution racket in south Delhi in January this year.

In its charge sheet, the police claimed that on January 19, the Assistant Commissioner of Police had imposed prohibitory orders in the North Block, South Block, Vijay Chowk areas near Rail Bhawan and Parliament Street. On January 20, the then CM Kejriwal and other AAP leaders assembled at the Rail Bhawan chowk defying the prohibitory orders, it said.