Delhi Police files FIR against Arvind Kejriwal for illegal hoardings

Delhi Police on Friday informed a Delhi court that it has lodged an FIR against former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and others for allegedly misusing public money by putting up large hoardings in the national capital in 2019. The police made the submission in its compliance report filed before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal. The judge on March 11 directed police to lodge the FIR on a complaint that has alleged violation of Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.
The court has listed the matter for April 18 for the next hearing after police sought time to investigate the matter. Aside from Kejriwal, the court had ordered the FIR against former MLA Gulab Singh and then Dwarka councilor Nitika Sharma, for installing "large-sized" banners. The complaint filed in 2019 alleged that Kejriwal, then Matiala MLA Gulab Singh (AAP) and then Dwarka A ward councilor Nitika Sharma "deliberately misused public money by putting up large-sized hoardings" at various places in the area.
Appearing before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal, the Delhi Police counsel said that original complaint submitted before the Dwarka South Police SHO was not available and a new copy of the complaint and the application filed before the court required for an FIR to be lodged.Advocate Sowjhanya Shankaran, appearing for complainant Shiv Kumar Saxena, said, “They (Delhi Police) claim that the original complaint has been destroyed... How is that possible? I have already forwarded them the digital copy of the complaint.”