Arvind Kejriwal, others get court relief for 2012 protest outside PM's residence

A Delhi court has discharged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others in a case of alleged rioting in front of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's house in 2012. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal passed the order.

According to the prosecution, on August 26, 2012, Kejriwal and others had held a demonstration against coal scam in front of Singh's house and in order to stop them, water cannons were used following which the volunteers became violent. Thereafter, police had fired several rounds of tear gas to driving them off.

Certain mischievous elements then attacked the police with flag sticks. The barricade was damaged along with certain plants, the police said. The Delhi Police had booked them for the alleged offences under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the Indian Penal Code.

Kejriwal and other accused persons were represented through advocate Mohd Irshad in the court. Besides Kejriwal, the court also discharged Ghan Shyam, Mahesh, Deepak Chhabra, Ranjit Bisht, Amit Kumar Singh and Gautam Kumar Singh.

(With PTI inputs)