Bribe issue: Court to hear plea against Arvind Kejriwal on May 18

NEW DELHI: A court here today fixed May 18 for hearing a criminal complaint seeking action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly exhorting voters to take bribe from Congress and BJP and vote for AAP in the assembly polls.

The complaint, in which the police was earlier directed to file an action taken report (ATR), could not be heard today as Metropolitan Magistrate Richa Gusain Solanki was on leave.

The court had on February 3 directed SHO of Police Station Subzi Mandi to file ATR on several issues, including whether they have received any such complaint and what action they have taken on it.

On the complaint filed by advocate Ikrant Sharma, the court had asked police that after the inquiry, whether any cognizable offence was made out against Kejriwal and if yes, whether any FIR has been registered and also to inform about the status of the investigation.

Sharma has sought registration of FIR against Kejriwal for the alleged offences including abetment, offering or accepting bribe and punishment for bribery under the Indian Penal Code.

"The accused has deliberately and intentionally abated Delhi voters to take bribe from the politicial parties in Delhi Assembly elections in 2015 during his public rally on January 18, 2015 at Uttam nagar here," he said.

He has said in the petition that he was unable to collect evidence against the accused and sought police's involvement and direction to investigate the matter and register an FIR.