Arvind Kejriwal spends night at Tihar after refusing bail bond, AAP to challenge court

New Delhi: After the drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal was back to his theatrics on Wednesday. This time he refused to furnish a Rs 10,000 bail bond in a criminal defamation case filed by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari for naming him among “India’s most corrupt” in January, and preferred to go to jail.

AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal is likely to remain at Tihar Jail till Friday, the day of the next hearing. AAP activists later staged protests and a candlelight vigil outside the prison.

Earlier, Mr Kejriwal had apologised to the people for quitting the Delhi government midway and sought fresh elections. Only a day before he was trying to form government with Congress help. That fell through as the Congress refused support.

Appearing in court in the defamation case, Mr Kejriwal refused to submit a bail bond. Metropolitan magistrate Gomati Manocha said: “When you are representing the AAP, behave like an aam aadmi. Let the procedure be the same for everyone. Is there a problem in furnishing bail? What you are asking for is differential treatment.”

Mr Kejriwal said it was a political case, and he hadn’t committed any crime. “I am ready to go to jail. We are setting a precedent. I am not saying give this treatment only to me. Give it to all.”

After Mr Kejriwal was taken into custody, senior AAP leaders held an informal meeting and later issued a statement expressing solidarity with him in his fight against corruption.

In a statement, the AAP claimed there was no provision in the law that makes it mandatory for a defendant against whom a complaint is filed in a defamation case to furnish bail bond, particularly when he is ready and willing to be present in court on the fixed date of hearing. The party claimed it was the AAP expose against Mr Gadgari on his business and land deals that had ultimately led to his resignation as BJP president.

On the formation of a new government in Delhi, Mr Kejriwal, who recommended dissolution of the Assembly to lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung after quitting the Delhi government, took a U-turn Tuesday by requesting him not to dissolve it as his party wanted a week to invite public opinion on whether it should form the government again.

With media reports suggesting a possible split in the AAP and the Congress refusing to support him, saying the newbie party helped the BJP in dividing the secular vote in the Lok Sabha elections, he immediately convened a meeting with his legislators and declared he was ready for a fresh poll.

“We have decided to prepare for fresh polls. In the coming weeks we will hold a lot of sabhas, apologise to Delhi’s citizens and convince them to give us a clear majority so that we can form the country’s first corruption-free government,” Mr Kejriwal said after meeting his legislators.
On the social media, Mr Kejriwal’s “Sorry Sabhas” went viral.

The Congress once again attacked him with its local unit head Arvinder Singh Lovely terming him a “power-hungry man” who wanted to gain power by misleading the electorate.