New Delhi, March 28 (HS): The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against three accused, including Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, in a case of defacing public property from 2019. The police informed the Rouse Avenue Court about this today. Following this information, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal ordered a hearing on the matter on April 18.

The police from Dwarka South Police Station informed the court today that they have registered an FIR and initiated an investigation in compliance with the court's order. The court instructed the submission of a status report. Earlier, on March 11, the court had ordered the registration of an FIR against Kejriwal, former MLA Gulab Singh, and the then councilor of Dwarka, Nikita Sharma, based on a plea filed by the complainant Shiv Kumar Saxena.

During the hearing, Saxena presented to the court large banners displaying the names of Kejriwal, Gulab Singh, and Nikita Sharma. The court noted that putting up large banners is not only a case of defacing public property but also poses a problem for traffic. It distracts drivers, creating safety risks for both pedestrians and vehicles. However, the story of people dying from illegal hoardings falling in the country is not new.

The court had directed the Delhi Police to register an FIR against all three under Section 3 of the Delhi Prevention of Property Act. The court expressed surprise at the action taken report submitted by the Delhi Police, stating that no action had been taken. In its action taken report, the Delhi Police mentioned that there were no hoardings present at the scene during the investigation. Following this, the court instructed the Delhi Police to trace those who printed and erected the hoardings to uncover the truth. The petitioner had complained about the erection of large hoardings at several locations in Dwarka, southwest Delhi, in 2019.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar