New Delhi: The wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sunita Kejriwal, was ordered by the Delhi High Court on Saturday to take down a court video she had shared on social media.
In the video, her husband was seen speaking in person to the judge after being taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to the purported liquor policy scam.
A bench of Justices Neena Bansal and Amit Sharma was hearing a PIL demanding action against her and several others for allegedly recording trial court proceedings during the Chief Minister's address following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The court's order also extends to other users who have shared the content, requiring them to take down the video from their social media handles.
The case is scheduled for its next hearing on July 9.
The recordings were purportedly shared on social media.
Filed by Delhi-based lawyer Vaibhav Singh, the PIL requests the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate and register an FIR against those involved in the alleged recording and dissemination of the court proceedings.
The plea argues that these actions put the trial court judge's life at risk.
Singh's petition names several individuals, including Akshay Malhotra, social media user Nagrik-India Jeetega, Promila Gupta, Vineeta Jain, and Dr Arunesh Kumar Yadav.
The petition claims they willfully disobeyed the Video Conferencing Rules set by the high court.
"Several members of the Aam Aadmi Party, along with other opposition party members, intentionally and deliberately recorded audio and video of the court proceedings with the willful intention to malign and manipulate the court proceedings," states the plea.
The PIL alleges a preplanned conspiracy orchestrated by CM Kejriwal and his party members to record and share the court proceedings. It calls for a thorough investigation to identify and punish those responsible for the unauthorised recordings.
The petition also seeks punishment for the alleged contemnors under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, and strict penalties for violating the Delhi High Court's VC Rules 2021.
Furthermore, the plea asks for directions to social media platforms to prevent unauthorised recordings and their dissemination, and to impose penalties on any individual or entity that fails to comply with these directions.
With inputs from IANS