Police serves notice to Atishi on AAP’s claims

New Delhi: A team of Delhi Police Crime Branch on Sunday visited Finance Minister Atishi’s residence and served her a notice in connection with allegations that the BJP was attempting to “poach” Aam Aadmi Party MLAs. Sources said that the Delhi minister’s staff have received the notice, after the Crime Branch team visited the AAP leader’s residence for a second time at 12.55 pm on Sunday.

According to the notice, the Crime Branch has asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi to give information on the allegations of poaching levelled against the BJP, given statements by them suggest they were “privy to certain information regarding commission of a cognizable offence”. They have been asked to respond to the notice by February 5.

On January 27, Kejriwal and Atishi had claimed that the BJP was trying to poach AAP MLAs by offering Rs 25 crore each and a ticket to contest next year’s assembly poll to topple the AAP government.

This comes a day after Crime Branch officials served a notice to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to reply within three days in a probe into his claims that the BJP attempted to poach seven AAP MLAs. Atishi was not present at her residence when the notice was handed over, sources said. Earlier in the day too, police officials had arrived at the minister’s residence but she was not present.

“The team visited again to serve notice to Atishi. The team first visited her house in the morning when she was not present at her residence,” a senior police officer of the Crime Branch said. According to AAP sources, Atishi had given directions to her office staff to receive the notice. Responding to the notice, AAP leader Jasmine Shah said the notice does not include anything about a summon or an FIR or any section of the IPC or CrPC.

Atishi said the notice served to her by the city police does not have any mention of an FIR or include penal provisions. She said at a press conference that they have sympathy for the Crime Branch officers who are being forced by their “political bosses” to indulge in such “theatrics”.