The year 2024 is about to end. This year was in the headlines for many matters. In this, the courts of Delhi were also discussed a lot. The arrest of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Excise Policy 2021-22 case and the dramatic developments unfolding in related cases made headlines in the lower courts of the national capital in 2024.
Bail from lower court, high court had put a stay on it
Kejriwal, the first Chief Minister to be arrested in the country, was made an accused in this case and was detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 and produced in the court the next day. He was sent to ED custody first till March 28 and then till April 1. However, special judge Justice Bindu had granted him bail on June 20, saying the ED had failed to provide direct evidence against him regarding the proceeds of crime in the alleged scam. However, Delhi High Court had stayed the order on June 21 on the request of ED.
CBI arrested on 26th June
On June 26, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Kejriwal again in a corruption case related to this alleged scam. After being interrogated by the CBI, a court sent him to judicial custody on June 29. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor finally got relief from the Supreme Court on July 12 in the ED case and on September 13 in the CBI case, paving the way for his release from jail.
Got bail from the Supreme Court on August 27
Apart from this, in the same liquor policy case, these agencies had arrested Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader on 15 March and 11 April and the court proceedings related to them also remained in the headlines. Ultimately the apex court intervened and granted him bail in both the cases on August 27. CBI had filed a charge sheet against Kejriwal in July, whereas before this a charge sheet was filed against former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
Case of photographer Ankit Saxena
This year, the case of photographer Ankit Saxena ended when the culprits were sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment on March 7. Ankit Saxena was murdered by his girlfriend’s family in 2018 because he belonged to another religion. These three included his girlfriend’s parents Akbar Ali and Shahnaz Begum and maternal uncle Mohammad Salim.
Hearing against Brij Bhushan Singh
Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Singh was accused of sexual harassment by female wrestlers and after a complaint in this regard, on May 21, the court framed related charges against him. Apart from Bhushan, the then assistant secretary of WFI and co-accused Vinod Tomar were also accused. He declared himself innocent.
Court headlines related to Medha Patkar
Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar was sentenced to five months simple imprisonment by a court on July 1 in a defamation case filed by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. This case was filed by Saxena when he headed an NGO in Gujarat 23 years ago. However, the judge suspended the sentence and his appeal is pending in court.
anti sikh riot case
Another Congress leader Jagdish Tytler is accused of being involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. On September 13, charges of murder and other crimes were framed against him. He has declared himself innocent.
Court grants bail to Engineer Rashid
Engineer Rashid, accused in the alleged terrorist funding case in Jammu and Kashmir, has won the Jammu and Kashmir Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general elections. He was later granted interim bail on September 11 to campaign for the assembly elections. He was given respite till October 2, which was later extended and he surrendered on October 28. The court refused to pass orders on his regular bail plea.
No relief for Omar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam
Former JNU student Umar Khalid, student activist Sharjeel Imam and former AAP councilor Tahir Hussain, accused in separate cases of riots in North-East Delhi, did not get any relief from the court. However, Khalid was granted bail for seven days to attend a family wedding in December.
Charges framed against former Congress councilor Ishrat Jahan
In another case related to the riots, the court framed charges of attempt to murder and unlawful assembly against former Congress councilor Ishrat Jahan, ‘United Against Hate’ founder Khalid Saifi and 11 others.
case of job in exchange for land
The list of cases involving political leaders also includes the “job in exchange for land” case, involving former Bihar Chief Minister and former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, their sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. And his daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav are included. All of them have got bail from the special court. Lalu and his sons got bail on October 7.
Bail to Satyendra Jain
Senior AAP leader and former minister Satyendra Jain, facing money laundering charges, got bail on October 18 after spending 18 months in jail.
release of amanatullah khan
One such decision which created quite a stir was the release of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan. The court directed his release on November 14, while refusing to take cognizance of the chargesheet filed against him in a case of irregularities in the Delhi Waqf case.
