Delhi High Court Acting Chief Justice Manmohan has warned lawyers against holding protests on court premises in response to the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He emphasized that such actions would have "severe consequences."
The Aam Aadmi Party's legal cell had planned a protest in district courts following Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case. However, Justice Manmohan stated that "courts cannot be withheld or stopped" and that "we cannot take away someone's right to approach the court."
He warned that anyone attempting to organize protests on court premises would do so "at their own peril." The issue was brought before a bench comprising Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet P S Arora by advocate Vaibhav Singh, who argued that court premises should not be used for political purposes.
Justice Manmohan expressed hope that "sense will prevail" and that the issue would be resolved tomorrow. He added that action would be taken if necessary. Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and remanded to ED custody until March 28 by a Delhi court. He is accused of involvement in a conspiracy related to the formulation of an excise policy that allegedly favored specific individuals.