New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday sacked Food Minister Asim Ahmad Khan on charges of demanding a bribe from a builder.
Announcing the sacking at a press conference where he played a recorded tape of a conversation purportedly between Khan and the builder, Kejriwal said the case was being referred to the CBI.
“We won’t tolerate any corruption, even if it is our minister or legislator,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said.
“Till the CBI completes the investigation, he [Khan] will not be a minister,” he said.
The food portfolio will go to AAP legislator Imran Hussain, he said.
Meanwhile, a Delhi Police constable on Friday recorded his statement in a defamation case against Kejriwal before a court here for using a derogatory term against the men in khaki.
Metropolitan magistrate Anu Aggarwal recorded the statement of the complainant, Harvinder, a constable posted at Govindpuri police station in south Delhi.
The court was hearing a complaint filed by Harvinder, who alleged that Kejriwal’s usage of word ‘thulla’ had harmed his reputation in the eyes of the general public, including his family, relatives and friends.
The complaint, filed by advocate L.N. Rao, claimed: “The ‘thulla’ remark made by a person of the stature of chief minister demoralised Delhi Police and it was intended to provoking breach of peace.”
“...using a derogatory and demeaning term like ‘thulla’ to refer to police personnel is equivalent to referring to all Delhi Police officials as lethargic and unproductive,” the complainant said in his plea.
“... Arvind Kejriwal has immense influence and reach across the public space and his words impact the public view of Delhi Police,” the constable said.
The next hearing is scheduled for November 27.
