AAP leader Raghav Chaddha has filed an application in the Delhi High Court asking for video recording or live transcription of the cross examination of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the ongoing defamation case.

Chaddha is one of the five defendants in Jaitley’s defamation case along with the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for making allegations of corruption in the DDCA during Jaitley’s tenure as President.

The application filed through Advocates Avi Singh and Jaskaran Sibia states that,

“The proceedings before the Joint Registrar are not being recorded accurately…. The objections are not being recorded in their entirety. The length of the time taken in putting a question on record, after objections and the answers, prejudices the defendants who have an equal interest in a fair trial.”

It is stated in the application that Jaitley, during the cross examination, has not answered the questions and has given long evasive replies which are entirely unnecessary.

It is further stated that the questions are interrupted with lengthy objections both by the Joint Registrar and Jaitley’s counsel resulting in a discussion of facts thus proffering answers to the witness.

It is submitted that,

“The videography of the proceedings will be in keeping with the principle of open access to justice and will ensure that justice is not only done but is seen to be done.”

The next session of the cross examination is scheduled for tomorrow.

Our government works towards living up to the expectations, says Delhi convener Gopal Rai

Marking three years in power in the Capital, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday organised Vikas Yatras across all 70 constituencies, highlighting the work done by the AAP government in their tenure.

A procession of bikers and volunteers on-foot, wearing the Aam Aadmi caps and waving the party flag, led the march for Som Dutt, MLA from Sadar Bazar constituency, to the doors of voters who brought them to power through a whopping majority in 2015.

“I keep taking rounds of the constituency and I see the same love in the eyes of my people that I saw when we used to campaign on these streets during the elections. They have let us into their homes and into their hearts, and that is what a politician lives for, to serve the people,” Mr. Dutt said.

The series of marches was conceived and led by AAP’s Delhi convener Gopal Rai, who is also the MLA from Babarpur. He started his march in noon from Babarpur bus terminal, covering residential areas, junctions and markets in the constituency.

“We wanted to bring our celebrations to the people. We were a bunch of nobodies before the people of Delhi gave us a chance to serve them. Everyday, our government works towards living up to those expectations,” said Mr. Rai.

Major developments

He said that major developments such as providing free water up to 20,000 litres and slashing electricity rates up to 400 units were undertaken by the government within a week of the AAP government taking over.

At Mehrauli, former MLA Naresh Yadav, whose fate hangs in the balance that of 19 other MLAs who have been disqualified by the Election Commission in the office-of-profit case, said for people in the lower rung of society, the AAP government has come as a ray of hope.

Education and health

The party leaders also spoke about developments in the field of education and health.

“Delhi has seen tremendous improvement in the field of school education in the last three years. In fact, ours has been the only government which has allocated almost 25% of its budget towards education,” the party said.

Though a lot of their work was recognised and appreciated by residents in several constituencies, in others it was dismissed as a publicity gimmick.

“If the work was genuinely done in the city as these people are claiming then the need to blow their own trumpets would not arise. Work is something that needs to be witnessed and felt by the people, you don’t have to make proclamations,” said Raghuvir Yadav, a resident of west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar.

However, 35-year-old Smita Kumari, a daily labourer from Mundka, said her life had changed after the AAP came to power here. “We are getting free water and electricity. That is a major saving for poor people like us. They would have done a lot more for us but the BJP is not letting [Arvind] Kejriwal work,” she said.

The party will complete three years of governance in Delhi on February 14.

Crores spent on ads but nothing done at ground level: Walia
As part of an “expose on the “failures” of the three-year rule of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, former Delhi Education Minister Kiran Walia said crores of rupees were spent during these three years on advertisements regarding historic changes in the city’s education sector but nothing has been done at the ground level.

‘Funds unspent’

Dr. Walia alleged that Rs. 1,982 crore of the budget for education over the past two years remains unspent. She added that the numbers do not support the Kejriwal government’s claims on revolutionary changes in the education system.

Dr. Walia said there were 17.75 lakh students in Delhi government schools in 2013-14 and the number dipped to 16.77 lakh in 2015-16. However, she added, 1.42 lakh students increased in private schools over the past two years.

“Under the Kejriwal government, Delhi’s average Class X board exam results dipped from 98.40% to 91%,” she claimed.

On the government’s promise to to build 500 new schools in Delhi after coming into the power, she said not a single school has been built on land purchased by the AAP government.

Stating that the Congress had built 100 schools in Delhi during its tenure, the former Minister claimed that the 10 schools inaugurated were introduced by the Congress government.

The Congress hit out at the Delhi government for spending crores of rupees on taking teachers abroad to see teaching methods in developed countries instead of spending the money on improving the conditions of existing schools.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will procure 2,000 buses for public transport this year and start a large scale tree plantation drive as part of efforts to reduce air pollution in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

Interacting with a group of students from Mumbai at his official residence here, the chief minister also said that Delhi and Mumbai are “not in competition” with each other and he wished both the cities to prosper.

Asked about steps taken to tackle pollution in Delhi, Mr Kejriwal said it is a very complex problem but the AAP government does not lack the political will to take measures to reduce pollution.

“Delhi government does not lack political will because we brought odd-even scheme which was very difficult to implement, but we still did it.

“This year, we are planning to plant a large number of trees across Delhi on a war-footing. We will involve school children and citizens also. We are also planning to buy 2,000 buses so that people leave their cars and take to buses,” he said.

Grappling with the air pollution crisis in the city, the Delhi government had in December announced that it would procure 500 electric buses which it said would boost the public transport services.

On whether Delhi had a disadvantage compared to Mumbai as it was landlocked city, Mr Kejriwal said, “I don’t think we are competing with each other. Both Delhi and Mumbai are part of the same country. I would always wish that both Delhi and Mumbai will prosper.”