The Delhi High Court on Saturday ordered Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to remove a video of a court hearing that she had posted on social media.
The video shows her husband addressing the court himself after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a liquor scam case.
A bench of Justices Neena Bansal and Amit Sharma was hearing a PIL seeking action against themselves and several others for allegedly recording the court proceedings during the Chief Minister’s address following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The court’s order also applies to other users who shared the content, and they have been asked to remove the video from social media.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 9. The footage was reportedly shared on social media.
The PIL, filed by Delhi-based lawyer Vaibhav Singh, has demanded the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate those involved in the alleged recording and dissemination of court proceedings and register an FIR.
The suit claims that these acts have put the life of the trial judge at risk.
Singh’s petition names several others, including Akshay Malhotra, social media users Nagrik India Jeetega, Promila Gupta, Vinita Jain, Singh and Arunesh Kumar Yadav.
The petition also alleges that there was deliberate disregard for video conferencing rules laid down by the Supreme Court. The petition states that “several members of Aam Aadmi Party along with other opposition politicians deliberately and knowingly made audio and video recordings of court proceedings with a view to defamation and manipulation of court proceedings.”
The PIL alleges a pre-planned conspiracy hatched by CM Kejriwal and his party members to record and broadcast court proceedings. She seeks a thorough investigation to identify and punish those responsible for the unauthorized recordings.
The petition also seeks punishment for the alleged offences of contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 and stringent punishment for violation of the Delhi High Court VC Rules, 2021.
The suit further seeks directions to social media platforms to prevent unauthorized recordings and their distribution and to impose penalty on individuals and entities who do not comply with these directions.
