New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday filed a status report in Rouse Avenue Courts in a case of alleged defacement of public property against former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, a former MLA and an MCD councillor.
In the report submitted before the court of additional chief judicial magistrate Neha Mittal, police said they were making consistent efforts to trace the accused and requested more time. The judge took the status report on record and listed the matter for May 3.
The case stems from an application filed by one Shiv Kumar Saxena, who alleged that Kejriwal and other political figures, including former AAP MLA Gulab Singh and BJP councillor Nitika Sharma, had misused public funds to display hoardings at various locations in Dwarka in 2019.
Saxena first went to police in 2019 and then moved court. On Sept 15, 2022, a magistrate court in Dwarka dismissed his application seeking an FIR. He then filed a revision petition in a sessions court, and on Jan 21, 2025, a special court asked a magistrate court to decide the application afresh.
On March 11, ACJM Mittal, observed that “prima facie”, a cognisable offence was committed, and directed the station house officer concerned to register an FIR. Police finally registered an FIR on March 26, 2025.
The case was registered under Section 3 of Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act 2007, which deals with penalties for defacing public property. The section mandates a maximum punishment of one year in prison and a fine of up to Rs 50,000.
The report submitted by inspector Rajesh Sah, the station house officer of Dwarka south police station, mentioned that during the investigation on April 3, a site plan was prepared on the instance of the complainant and placed on record. “Furthermore, consistent efforts are being made to trace the accused persons,” the report stated.
The hoardings were placed at busy intersections, roads, electricity poles, boundary walls of DDA parks and other public places, Saxena complained. While hearing the FIR plea, the court highlighted the risk of accidents caused by such illegal hoardings. “Deaths caused by the collapse of illegal hoardings are not new in India,” the judge noted.