AAP left red-faced after accusing Delhi LG of corruption as HC passes injunction order

In a massive setback for AAP on Tuesday, the Delhi High Court issued an ad-interim injunction order in favour of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. A bench comprising Justice Amit Bansal was hearing a civil defamation suit filed by Saxena against AAP leaders Atishi, Durgesh Pathak, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjay Singh and Jasmine Shah who had levelled corruption allegations against him. While Atishi, Pathak and Bharadwaj are members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Singh is a Rajya Sabha MP and Shah is the vice chairperson of the Dialogue and Development Commission. 

Saxena had urged the court to issue directions to AAP and its leaders to take down the defamatory posts from social media and restrain them from levelling allegations against him and his family members in the future. Justice Bansal stated, "I [have] passed an ad interim injunction order in favour of the plaintiff and a takedown order. There are detailed directions". This implies that AAP leaders will have to delete their posts pertaining to the allegations against the LG and his kin. The detailed order, in this matter, is awaited. 

AAP's allegations against Delhi LG

AAP and BJP have been at loggerheads since the CBI conducted raids on Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in connection with the liquor scam. In August, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party trained its guns on Delhi LG VK Saxena by accusing him of being involved in a 'khadi scam'. The wrongdoing allegedly took place after demonetisation in 2016 when Saxena was Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). Addressing a press conference, AAP MLA Atishi alleged that black money was laundered back then at the behest of the then KVIC chairman. 

Atishi claimed, "When the country was waiting in lines to withdraw its money from banks following the demonetisation exercise, then-KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena was busy converting black money into white. KVIC cashiers have claimed that they were forced into converting old currencies amounting to Rs 22 lakh. There are over 7,000 such branches across the country, which means there was a scam of Rs 1,400 crore. Why is there no inquiry about this?"

Moreover, AAP MLAs sat on an overnight dharna on the Delhi Assembly premises in protest against the LG. Atishi also sought an appointment with CBI Director Subodh Jaiswal regarding the allegations of corruption and money laundering against Saxena. Subsequently, the party also accused Saxena of giving the work of designing the Khadi Lounge in Mumbai to his own daughter. It also alleged that nearly 2,60,000 workers of the KVIC were paid in cash during his tenure in contravention of a High Court order.