Haryana court summons Arvind Kejriwal over his 'Yamuna poisoned' allegation

A court in Haryana's Sonipat on Wednesday issued notice to former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal over a plea regarding his remarks accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "poisoning" the Yamuna river..Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Goyal sought a reply from Kejriwal and asked him to appear in person before the Court on February 17."So in view of aforesaid provision, let, notice to respondent Arvind Kejriwal be issued for 17.02.2025. He is directed to appear in person before this court on the next date of hearing, if he has to say anything in the matter. If he does not appear before this court on next date of hearing, it is deemed that he has nothing to say in the matter and further proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with law," the Court ordered..The Court was hearing a complaint filed by State of Haryana through the State Disaster Management Authority against Kejriwal under Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The complaint alleged that Kejriwal spread misinformation and caused panic among the residents of Delhi and Haryana with his "Yamuna Poisoned" remark..On January 28, a crowd consisting of residents from villages near the Yamuna River gathered at the premises of the Irrigation Department in Sonipat. They demanded an explanation as to why the Haryana Government had allegedly poisoned Yamuna. When asked about the source of this information, some individuals presented a video clip circulating on social media, the plea stated. In the clip, Kejriwal was seen claiming that the Haryana government had poisoned the Yamuna River and that it was detected on time due to the vigilance of Delhi Jal Board officers, thereby preventing harm to numerous residents of Delhi..The complainant Ashish Kaushik, an Executive Engineer in Water Services Division, assured the crowd that the claims made in the viral video were entirely false and that no such incident had occurred. After repeated efforts to pacify them, the mob eventually calmed down and dispersed, the plea stated.It was alleged that Kejriwal had willfully and deliberately made false alarms and warnings about the Haryana Government poisoning the Yamuna River, which had caused panic in the area.Therefore, the plea prayed that the accused-Kejriwal should have been summoned, prosecuted, and punished under the provisions of Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, along with Sections 353 (public mischief) and 356 (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023..[Read Order]