A Delhi court has directed the police to expedite the investigation into an alleged case of defacing public property involving former Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
The court’s direction followed the police’s request for more time to investigate the case, which was filed in 2019.
During the hearing held on Wednesday, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal directed the investigating officer (IO) to file a status report by the next scheduled hearing on December 3.
The court had also granted time on September 29, the previous hearing, for the investigating officer to conclude the probe.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the IO submitted to the court that AAP MLA Gulab Singh and MCD councillor Nitika Sharma had already been questioned, but the statement of Mr. Kejriwal could not be recorded due to his unavailability.
The case stems from a 2019 complaint by Delhi resident Shiv Kumar Saxena, who alleged that Mr. Kejriwal, former MLA Gulab Singh, and councillor Nitika Sharma misused public funds by placing billboards across Dwarka, including at traffic intersections and parks.
He also complained about another hoarding, which extended greetings for Gurunanak Dev Jayanti and Kartik Purnima to local residents, featuring the names and pictures of Ms. Sharma, Prime Minister Narender Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, BJP president J.P. Nadda, Delhi minister Pravesh Sahib Singh, and several other BJP leaders.
Mr. Saxena alleged that he approached the court after the police failed to act on his complaint.
Following the court’s direction, police booked the AAP leaders under Section 3 of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 2007. This section carries a maximum punishment of one year in prison and a fine of up to ₹ 50,000.
Published – November 01, 2025 01:39 am IST
