Arvind Kejriwal's 'personal choice' to remain CM of Delhi must not affect school students: HC
Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘personal choice’ to remain CM of Delhi must not affect school students: HC
The Delhi High Court has noted that Arvind Kejriwal’s “personal” choice to remain the chief minister of Delhi even after his arrest should not impair the basic rights of school-going children.
The deliberation follows Delhi municipal commissioner saying that the absence of a standing committees, which is necessary for making decisions on contracts above Rs 5 crore, resulted in more than 200,000 kids being deprived of basic facilities. The children’ lack of bank accounts and their lack of notebooks and cash reimbursement for supplies like school bags, uniforms, and stationery were disclosed to the court.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, who has been in jail since March 21 over alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy, was harshly indicted by a bench made up of acting chief justice Manmohan and justice Manmeet PS Arora for failing to provide books and uniforms to these over 2 lakh students in city schools.
The high court ruled on April 29 that Kejriwal’s imprisonment does not entail that the students studying in schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would be forced to attend classes without free textbooks, writing supplies, or uniforms during the first term.
“National interest and public interest demands that no person who holds this post is incommunicado or absent for a long stretch of time or for an uncertain period of time. To say that no important decision can be taken during a model code of conduct is a misnomer,” the court said.
The high court censured Kejriwal last week, declaring that his administration is obsessed with ‘staying on to power’ and that he has prioritised his “personal benefit” over all other considerations.
“A chief minister’s post in any state, leave alone a buzzing capital city like Delhi, is not a ceremonial post. It is a post where the office holder (when in office) has to be virtually available 24×7 to deal with any crisis or natural disaster like flooding, fire, disease etc. National interest and public interest demands that no person who holds this post is incommunicado or absent for a long stretch of time or for an uncertain period time,” said the bench in a 17-page order.
The MCD and the department of education were sought to impose orders ensuring that students registered in their institutions have active bank accounts. The case was presented by attorney Ashok Agarwal.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in connection with a case involving allegations of money laundering and corruption during the creation and implementation of the excise policy of the Delhi government.
On November 17, 2021, the Delhi government put the policy into effect. However, towards the end of September 2022, it was abandoned. The party has been accused of corruption, a charge that the AAP refutes.