Delhi HC warns against AAP's call for protest in court premises amid Kejriwal arrest

NEW DELHI: On the issue of the Aam Aadmi Party's Legal Cell making a call for protest against party leader and Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwa;'s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Delhi High Court today issued a warning to the lawyers intending to protest inside the court premises. 

"There will be serious consequences. The law laid down by Supreme Court will be applied. (The) Court cant be withheld, it cant be stopped," Acting Chief Justice Manmohan said.

"You cannot take away someone's fundamental right to approach court, that is the settled law. If someone does it, they will do so at their own peril and we will take action if required," he added.

Stating that the Court may hear the matter tomorrow, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday warned of severe action if any protest is held in any court of Delhi.

The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora questioned how protests can be held in court premises, on a mentioning by a lawyer about his complaint against the AAP Legal Cell's protest.

The lawyer said he had e-mailed a complaint against the protest call at midnight itself, seeking a hearing of the matter.

The AAP legal cell had called for a protest today at 12.30 pm IST calling lawyers to gather in all the district courts of Delhi.

Responding to the situation, the BCI Chairman and Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra stated in a press release,

"I earnestly appeal to my esteemed colleagues in the legal fraternity of Delhi to resist the temptation of engaging in unwarranted agitation or succumbing to divisive politics. Let us uphold the integrity and dignity of our noble profession, refraining from any movement until a competent court unequivocally establishes Shri Arvind Kejriwal's innocence or declares his arrest unjust or unlawful."