NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Friday informed the city court that an FIR has been registered against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal and others for allegedly misusing public money by putting up large hoardings in the capital’s Dwarka area in 2019. The FIR registration comes in compliance with a directive issued by the court on March 11. The court had instructed the police to formally register the complaint and submit a compliance report.
In response, the Delhi Police presented their report before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Neha Mittal of the Rouse Avenue Court, confirming the initiation of the case. The police also informed the court that the investigation is currently underway, with the case’s dated nature requiring additional time for a thorough examination. The next hearing has been scheduled for April 18. The legal battle began when a complaint was filed by Shiv Kumar Saxena, who alleged that large hoardings featuring Kejriwal, then Matiala MLA Gulab Singh (AAP), and others were unlawfully placed in various public spaces across Dwarka.
The banners, he claimed, misused public funds and violated the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 2007. Some of these posters advertised Delhi government initiatives, while others extended greetings for religious festivals, featuring multiple political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders. The complaint alleged that despite bringing the matter to the police’s attention in 2019, no action was taken.
Initially, a status report filed in 2022 by the Dwarka South Police Station concluded that no hoardings were found at the locations mentioned in the complaint at the time of investigation. As a result, the Metropolitan Magistrate of Dwarka Court dismissed the case on September 15, 2022.
However, Saxena pursued a revision petition before the Rouse Avenue Court, which allowed the plea and directed a fresh hearing.