PANAJI: A local court today directed the Goa Police to begin a preliminary inquiry into a complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly encouraging bribery during the Goa Legislative Assembly elections last year.
During a series of election rallies in Goa between January 7-8, Kejriwal had reportedly appealed to voters to "accept money from the Congress and BJP candidates, but vote for the AAP".
Judicial Magistrate First Class at Mapusa, Shantishri Sinai Kudchadkar directed the police to start a preliminary inquiry into a case filed by Returning Officer Gurudas Desai, who alleged that Kejriwal had promoted bribery during his election speeches.
In January 2017, the Election Commission had ordered the police to file an FIR against Kejriwal following which local poll officials lodged a complaint with Mapusa police.
The returning officer had then approached the judicial magistrate first class in Mapusa in December 2017 with a plea that an offence under section 171 (B) (inducement to voters) and 171 E (bribery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) be registered against the AAP supremo.
The AAP had contested 39 out of 40 seats in last year's Goa Assembly polls.