The Delhi Police crime branch showed up at Delhi minister Atishi Marlena’s Mathura Road home on 4th February to issue her with a notice about the Aam Aadmi Party’s allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party tried to poach seven of their legislators. The police waited outside her home as she was not present at her home. But later the police handed over the notice to her staff.
#WATCH | A team of Delhi Police Crime Branch officials arrive at the residence of Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2024
Police officials are here to serve notice in connection with Aam Aadmi Party's allegation against BJP "of trying to buy AAP MLAs". pic.twitter.com/nHCj1GSCAs
Atishi, who is in charge of significant portfolios of PWD, education, culture and tourism instructed her camp office staff to accept any notice on her behalf. However, the police team didn’t do that initially and insisted on serving the notice to her personally. The police team then came out and waited outside her house.
The Delhi Police again went to her residence after some time and served the notice to her staff as the minister was not available at her residence. The notice asks Atishi Marlena to furnish her reply within 3 days.
Cops re-enter Delhi Minister Atishi's residence to serve her notice, seeking her reply within 3 days, in the 'poaching' case.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 4, 2024
The notice has been given to the Delhi Minister's staff due to her absence: @Rishabhmpratap shares the latest updates with @Kritsween#AAP #Atishi pic.twitter.com/zGulJ9vPHn
Notably, the Delhi Police Crime Branch is seeking information from Atishi and CM Arvind Kejriwal over their allegations that BJP offered Rs 25 crore each to several AAP MLAs to leave the party and join BJP. Citing their social media comments, the notice issued to CM Kejriwal states, “The plain reading of the said tweet indicates that you are privy to certain information regarding the commission of a cognizable offence. Therefore, you are hereby requested to provide answers to the questionnaire attached herewith by 05.02.2024”. Apart from the answers to the questions in the questionnaire, the crime branch also urged them to provide any other information they might have.
Atishi’s residence was visited by the officers a day earlier as well, but they had to come back as she was in Chandigarh. A senior officer of the Delhi Police Crime Branch divulged, “The team will go again to serve notice to Atishi. This morning, she was not present at her residence.”
On 3rd February, the officers also went to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house and served the notice following five hours of political drama. He was directed to respond within three days in response to his allegations that the BJP tried to poach AAP MLAs. “We have served the notice on him. He can give the reply in three days in a written form,” an official revealed. Arvind Kejriwal was also requested by the crime department to divulge the identities of the lawmakers who were allegedly contacted by the BJP.
Over the last two days, the police made multiple trips to his home to serve him with a notice on the charges. The police first went to his residence on the 2nd of February night to deliver him a notice to help with an initial investigation, but they returned because he wasn’t available. A commotion had earlier broken out at his house at Civil Lines when a crime branch team appeared on the next to deliver him with a notice related to the probe.
He posted, “I sympathize with this crime branch police officer. What is their fault? Their job is to stop crime in Delhi. But instead of stopping crime, this kind of drama is being done. That is why crime is increasing so much in Delhi. Their political masters are asking me which MLA of “AAP” was tried to break.”
“But you know more than me. You know everything. Why only Delhi, you know which MLAs from other parties and which governments were toppled in the last few years across the country. Then why this drama,” he further questioned.
मुझे क्राइम ब्रांच के इस पुलिस ऑफिसर से सहानुभूति है। इनका क्या क़सूर है? इनका काम है दिल्ली में क्राइम रोकना। पर इनसे क्राइम रोकने की बजाय इस क़िस्म की नौटंकी करवाई जा रही है। इसीलिए दिल्ली में इतना क्राइम बढ़ रहा है।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 3, 2024
इनके पोलिटिकल आका मुझसे पूछ रहे हैं कि “आप” के किस किस MLA… https://t.co/vZegQRiizM
On 27th January both he and Atishi stated that the BJP was attempting to oust the AAP administration by paying each MLA Rs 25 crore and a ticket to run in the assembly election of next year. The chief minister was challenged by the BJP to provide evidence to support his statements, deriding the accusations as “false” and “baseless”.
