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In fresh trouble for the Aam Aadmi Party, the Delhi Police has reportedly decided to file chargesheets against 21 MLAs of the party against whom criminal cases were registered in various police stations of the national capital.
The list of 21 MLAs also includes Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who has three cases registered against him. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goyal are also included in the list.
Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi, however, has denied having any knowledge of the chargesheets against the AAP MLAs.
"What you have come to know is not known to me," he said in reply to question on the chargesheets.
But he added that "in pending cases our objective is to complete the investigations at the earliest and bring the facts before the court."
Most of the cases filed against the AAP MLAs come under the charge of preventing government officials from discharging their duties.
However, two MLAs face serious criminal charges of molestation, cheating and forgery, invoking tougher action, said police sources.
A total of 48 cases were registered against party MLAs, of which a compromise was reached in one.
In two cases, the accused were acquitted. 20 cases are pending trial while 24 others are being investigated, the sources said.
According to a Delhi Police status report on the cases, three cases are registered against Kejriwal, all at the Parliament Street police station.
AAP MLA from Kondli Manoj Kumar faces serious charge of molestation and has four cases registered against him.
Reacting to the media reports, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said this was nothing, but an act of "cowardice" and the Delhi Police and the Centre shouldn't treat AAP as a "soft target".
"The Delhi Police and the commissioner should understand that whoever violates law in the Modi government goes to jail. He should look at what happened to IAS and IPS officers in the state.
"If there are charges against any of us, then they are free to register cases. But don't look at AAP as a soft target," Singh said.
Another senior AAP leader Ashutosh alleged that to divert attention from the Sushma Swaraj-Lalit Modi issue, the Modi government was planting stories against AAP.
"To divert attention from Sushma, story of 21 AAP MLAs to be arrested is planted by Modi government. Gullible TV channels are gleefully running.
"My name is missing in the list of people to be arrested by Delhi police. Many cases against me also. Feeling left out and unimportant(sic)," he tweeted.
