Supreme Court junks plea to resume trial of Delhi women panel chief Swati Maliwal
Hindustan TimesThe Supreme Court on Thursday declined to order the resumption of a trial court’s proceedings against Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal in a case concerning graft allegations against her for appointing people acquainted with her or those associated with the Aam Aadmi Party in the women rights body between July 2015 and August 2016. Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal is accused of appointing people acquainted with her or those associated with the Aam Aadmi Party in the women rights body between July 2015 and August 2016. A bench led by justice Surya Kant underlined that the March 10 order of the Delhi high court staying the prosecution of the AAP leader is only an interim order, and that the Delhi Police’s Anti-Corruption Branch still has the opportunity to bring all relevant facts before the high court when the matter is taken up next on July 26. After Maliwal appealed, the high court, in its order on March 10, observed that prima facie, the “essential ingredient of offence under Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, namely obtaining of any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage is evidently missing” from the charge sheet and that the order on charge framed by the trial court against Maliwal accordingly requires “closer consideration”.