Misused public money: court allows charging new case against Kejriwal

New Delhi: A court here on Tuesday directed Delhi Police to register an FIR against AAP leader and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and others for allegedly misusing public money in putting up large hoardings in the national capital, PTI reported.

"This court is of the considered opinion that the application u/s 156(3) Cr.P.C. deserves to be allowed. Accordingly, the concerned SHO is directed to register FIR immediately under section 3 of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 2007 and any other offence that appears to have been committed from the facts of the case," Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal said.

The complaint filed in 2019 alleged that Kejriwal, then Matiala MLA Gulab Singh (AAP) and then Dwarka A ward councillor Nitika Sharma "deliberately misused public money by putting up large-sized hoardings" at various places in the area.

Meanwhile, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) tabled in the Delhi Assembly in the last week of February has alleged that Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers were responsible for a loss exceeding Rs 2,002 crore due to their non-transparent excise policy, widely referred to as "Liquorgate."

The audit report exposed how decision-making under the policy favoured select licensees through illegal means, resulting in sub-optimal implementation and failure to achieve its key objectives. According to the findings, the excise policy failed to ensure the equitable distribution of retail liquor vends, as several outlets in non-conforming wards could not be opened. Additionally, the issuance and management of zonal licenses had serious shortcomings.