Special Court refuses to lodge FIR against Arvind Kejriwal and Baba Ramdev

A special court in Delhi dismissed a petition asking for a first information report (FIR) filed against activist-politician Arvind Kejriwal, his colleague Prashant Bhushan and yoga guru Baba Ramdev for allegedly lowering the reputation of parliament.

Metropolitan Magistrate Purshotam Pathak refused to give directions to lodge a FIR against Kejriwal for allegedly lowering the reputation of parliament in a speech delivered in February.

The court also did not accept a plea seeking directions from the court to register a case of sedition against Kejriwal’s colleague Prashant Bhushan for his remarks on Kashmir made Sep 26, 2011.

The court was hearing a private complaint filed by a law student, Vibhor Anand, who is seeking directions from the court to register a case against Kejriwal, Baba Ramdev and Prashant Bhushan.

Anand, whose NGO based in West Patel Nagar in central Delhi provides legal aid to people, alleged that Kejriwal made an objectionable speech at a rally in Ghaziabad Feb 26 with malafide intention to lower the reputation of parliament.

Anand alleged that Kejriwal had committed penal offences of sedition and criminal intimidation.

The complainant had said Bhushan made the comments with “a malafide intention and sole motive to create panic among the masses and to disturb the constitutional set-up”.

Anand added that Bhushan made provocative statements, which were anti-national, mischievous and clearly intended to cause public disorder and uproar in Kashmir and other parts of the nation.

He had requested the court to lodge a case against Ramdev on charges of sedition and statements conducing to public mischief.

According to the petition, Ramdev said parliamentarians were friends and slaves of money and did not like labourers.