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Justice Markandey Katju

Justice Markandey Katju

Former Supreme Court judge of India, known for his forthright views on legal, social, and political issues. Advocate for judicial reforms.

The Way Out for AAP Leaders

2 min readApr 10, 2024
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Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal’s troubles have intensified following the Delhi High Court’s dismissal of his petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (India News Article). This development has sent shockwaves through the AAP leadership. Some members, such as former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain, are already imprisoned, and it appears more may soon follow for lengthy periods, potentially several years.

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In this dire situation, I propose a radical solution to Kejriwal and other AAP leaders and MLAs: dissolve the AAP and collectively join the BJP. This move would likely result in the withdrawal of all pending cases against them, or any proposed cases, effectively clearing their charges (becoming ‘doodh ka dhula’). Kejriwal should lead this transition by being the first to announce it (Justice Katju’s Opinion).

Such a strategy would not only see all charges against them dropped but might also allow Kejriwal to continue as Chief Minister. This situation mirrors the 1980 incident when Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, then a member of the Janata Party, crossed over to the Congress with most of his MLAs, subsequently maintained as CM by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had just returned to power (India Today 1980, India Today 1982).

If Kejriwal is not reinstated as CM of Delhi, or if Manish Sisodia does not resume his role as Deputy CM, at least they will be free. Then, they could don saffron (gerua) garments and retire to a Himalayan cave to meditate and seek divine forgiveness for their sins.

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Justice Markandey Katju
Justice Markandey Katju

Written by Justice Markandey Katju

Former Supreme Court judge of India, known for his forthright views on legal, social, and political issues. Advocate for judicial reforms.