Kejriwal in the dock for bribery remark

MAPUSA: A Mapusa court on Friday took cognizance of the complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for alleged poll violation during the election campaign in the 2017 assembly elections in Goa and posted the hearing on February 8.
Mapusa Police had registered a non-cognisable offence against the AAP chief following a complaint by the assistant returning officer for his alleged bribery remarks at the campaign rally in the State.
It may be recalled the Election Commission of India (ECI) on January 29, 2017 had ordered filling of an FIR against AAP chief, Arvind Kejriwal for his bribery comments made at a rally in Goa.
Kejriwal in his speech had exhorted the Goa voters to accept money offered by other political parties but vote only for AAP. At the rally the Delhi CM had also told the voters to ask for Rs 10,000 when offered Rs 5,000 by rival parties.
After nearly a year the state election officials approached the JMFC court, Mapusa in December 2017 to issue directions to police to register the offence as FIR under sections 171 B (inducement) and 171 E (bribery) of the IPC.
On February 8, the court will conduct a hearing to find out whether the non-cognizable offence can be registered as an FIR against the Delhi CM.
Interestingly, Kejriwal on Thursday (February 1) told a Delhi High Court that no FIR has been lodged against him in Goa on the Election Commission’s direction for his bribery remarks made during assembly polls in Goa in Janauary 2017.