A local court in Delhi has framed charges against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Legislator Amanatullah Khan and 24 others in connection with a protest staged by them against a demolition drive carried out in southeast Delhi’s Kanchan Kunj area in May, 2022.

While framing charges against the accused, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal at Rouse Avenue Court held on Friday that prima facie, there was sufficient evidence against the accused to frame charges in the case. 

Charges were framed against the accused under Sections 147 (rioting), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 153 (provocation to cause riot), 186 (obstructing public servant), 353 (using criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty) and 332 (causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The court observeed that it has fully considered the facts and circumstances of the case, while ordering prosecution of the accused.

The ACMM discharged eight accused in the case, after noting that there was no material on record to frame charges against them. 

The Rouse Avenue Court will next hear the matter on January 24 at 2 pm. 

Khan and his supporters had allegedly disrupted the demolition operation on May 12, 2022, being undertaken by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation at illegal buildings built close to the Yamuna floodplains in Kanchan Kunj area of Delhi. 

Police said that they tried to pacify the protestors, but they pelted stones at civic and police officers. Police then resorted to lathi charge to disperse the mob.

A local court in the national capital has agreed to conduct an early hearing into the bail petition of Delhi Health Minister and AAP Legislator Satyendar Jain, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for corruption charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The Rouse Avenue Court will take up Jain’s plea on October 28 at 2 pm.

The Rouse Avenue Court had earlier fixed October 31 as the next date of hearing in the case, but following an application filed on behalf of Jain, the court agreed to take up his petition tomorrow.

Earlier on October 11, the Supreme Court had issued notice to ED in connection with the petition filed by Jain, challenging transfer of case registered against him under the PMLA to a new Judge.

The Bench of Justice M.R. Shah and Justice Krishna Murari sought reply from the ED and posted the case for further hearing on October 31.

Earlier on October 10, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal had mentioned Jain’s plea before Chief Justice of India (CJI) U.U. Lalit, who agreed to list the case for hearing as first matter on October 11.

The former minister has challenged the order by the Delhi High Court, which had on October 1, dismissed his plea after he approached them against an order passed by Principal District and Sessions Court Vinay Kumar Gupta of the Rouse Avenue court, allowing ED’s plea for transfer of Jain’s case from Judge Geetanjali Goel to Judge Vikas Dhull.

Earlier, Special Judge Geetanjli Goel was hearing the submissions in Jain’s bail plea and while the matter was in its final leg, ED sought transfer of the matter alleging bias on part of the judge.

CBI had registered a case against Jain under Sections 13(2) (criminal misconduct by public servant) read with 13(e) (disproportionate assets) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

The case was registered as Jain had acquired movable properties in the name of various persons between 2015 and 2017 which he could not satisfactorily account for. Jain was subsequently arrested on April 5 by the ED on the basis of its investigation into the money laundering aspect under PMLA.