A protest by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers outside Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha’s Mumbai residence resulted in police intervention, leading to the detention of several demonstrators and the filing of a case against over eight individuals. The protestors chanted slogans like “Traitor Raghav Chadha” to express their discontent over his reported departure from the party. The Khar Police Station intervened in response to the intense protest, issuing notices to the detainees before releasing them.
Police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against eight AAP leaders, including Mumbai Working President Reuben Mascarenhas, under Sections 189(2), 189(3), and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act. The FIR relates to alleged unlawful assembly and protest actions against Chadha and six other Rajya Sabha members who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Upper House. The incident occurred following a significant political move where Chadha and six other AAP MPs announced their departure from the party to join the BJP, framed as a collective merger rather than individual defections, which is crucial under India’s anti-defection law.
The development has sparked broader political and legal discussions not only on the defections but also on previous reform proposals concerning such laws, some of which Chadha had previously endorsed. In another development, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has requested a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to present his arguments regarding AAP’s plea to disqualify its rebel members. Chadha was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab.
