Can't go inside someone's house and hold strike: Delhi High Court on Kejriwal's dharna

The Delhi High court on Monday slammed Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers for their sit-in protest at Lt Governor Anil Baijal’s office.

Hearing a petition filed by BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, the High Court sharply questioned Kejriwal’s dharna and said that the AAP leader cannot go inside someone's house and hold a strike.

“Thing is that you’re sitting on a dharna. Who authorised them to sit on a dharna like this?” the court asked, adding, “This can’t be called a strike. You can’t go inside someone’s office or house and hold a strike there.”

On Delhi government lawyer’s argument that holding a dharna was an “individual decision”, the court responded, “Is it authorised?”

Kejriwal and his four cabinet colleagues – Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai – have been camping inside Baijal’s office waiting room since last Monday, demanding that he ask the Delhi IAS officials to end their “illegal strike” and approve a doorstep ration delivery scheme.

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The Delhi chief minister had alleged that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Lt Governor Anil Baijal were behind the “strike” by the IAS officers.

The AAP chief claimed that the IAS officers in the national capital were halting the work since last four months and were not attending the meeting and phone calls of Delhi ministers.