In a significant development, the Delhi High Court has issued a directive to Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to remove a video from social media featuring her husband addressing the court.
The video captured the Chief Minister personally speaking during his court appearance subsequent to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged liquor policy scam.
Case Overview:
The bench comprising Justices Neena Bansal and Amit Sharma took cognizance of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking action against Sunita Kejriwal and others accused of recording and disseminating proceedings from a trial court.
The PIL, filed by Delhi-based lawyer Vaibhav Singh, also urged the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter and initiate legal action against those responsible for the unauthorized recording.
The court’s order, delivered on Saturday, extends not only to Sunita Kejriwal but also to other individuals who have shared the contentious video on social media platforms.
The mandate orders all social media handles that have circulated the video to remove it.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for 9 July, continuing its judicial scrutiny into the alleged breach of court protocols and potential contempt of court.
According to the petitioner, the dissemination of these recordings posed a serious threat to the safety and integrity of trial court proceedings, potentially jeopardizing the security of the presiding judge.
The PIL alleges that members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and other opposition figures orchestrated the actions as part of a deliberate conspiracy.
The plea underscores violations of the Video Conferencing Rules laid down by the Delhi High Court in 2021, accusing the accused of intentionally flouting these regulations to influence judicial proceedings.
It further seeks stringent penalties under the Contempt of Courts Act of 1971, against all involved parties.
In addition to legal action against the alleged contemnors, the PIL calls for directions to social media platforms to prevent unauthorized recordings of court proceedings in the future.
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