HC reserves order on Kejriwal’s plea for addl meetings with lawyers

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested in Delhi excise scam cases, seeking additional virtual meetings with his lawyers, a move both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Tihar jail authorities contested while insisting the law was equal for all.

The AAP leader’s counsel submitted he was facing around 35 cases across the country and, for a fair trial, he required two additional meetings with his lawyers via video conference to discuss the issues.

Opposing Kejriwal’s petition, Tihar jail authorities contended there are many prisoners who have 100 cases pending against them and they are allowed only two meetings with their lawyers but are still managing with it. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that Kejriwal was using his meetings with lawyers for sending out instructions to the ministers of the Delhi government.

Having heard the contentions of the parties, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna said she was reserving the order which will be passed in chambers.

While opposing Kejriwal’s petition, the counsel for the jail authorities said he initially sought only two additional physical meetings with his lawyers and now he wanted two more virtual meetings. The change of mode cannot change the rule which allows a prisoner to have only two meetings with his advocate every week.

The ED’s counsel said similar prayers were made before a division bench of the high court in a public interest litigation but the prayer was rejected.