Delhi HC seeks Tihar reply to Arvind Kejriwal's plea for additional meetings with lawyers
Arvind Kejriwal, arrested in Delhi excise scam cases, seeking additional virtual meetings with his lawyers. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna granted the prison authorities five days to file a reply and listed the matter for argument on July 15.
Kejriwal has challenged a trial court's July 1 order rejecting his application for directions to the prison authorities to grant him two additional meetings in a week with his lawyers through video conference.
At present, the jailed Aam Aadmi Party national convener is allowed two meetings with his lawyers per week.
Kejriwal's lawyer contended that the AAP leader was facing around 35 litigations across the country and on grounds of the right to a fair trial, he required two additional meetings with his lawyers via video conference to discuss the cases.
The counsel for the Enforcement Directorate also said that he wanted to file a reply to the plea.
On being asked by the court what was the objection to the plea, the lawyer representing the jail authorities submitted that the rule is the same for all and a prisoner is entitled to two meetings with his or her advocate in a week.
He added all the 35 cases were not being heard simultaneously in a week and so, there was no need for additional meetings.
The trial court rejected the plea, saying the counsel for the applicant had failed to convince the court on how the applicant was entitled to two additional legal meetings through video conference on the same grounds which have been discussed and dealt with in an earlier order.
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