New Delhi: In a recent development unfavorable to Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently on bail concerning allegations linked to the Delhi liquor policy scandal and suffered defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, including in his own New Delhi constituency, a court in the capital has ordered the registration of a first information report (FIR) against him and several other members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for purportedly misappropriating public funds to erect large hoardings.
The Rouse Avenue Court, upon hearing a petition that sought to initiate legal proceedings against Mr. Kejriwal and two other individuals, Gulab Singh and Nikita Sharma, instructed the Delhi Police to file a First Information Report (FIR) and requested a compliance report by March 18. This case originates from 2019, and a lower court had previously declined to permit the petition.
Throughout the more than ten years of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) governance in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consistently accused the party of misappropriating public funds for its own promotional activities. In January of the previous year, the Directorate of Information and Publicity demanded that the AAP repay Rs 163.62 crore, inclusive of interest, for allegedly misusing public resources for political advertising.
In January of this year, the BJP reiterated its claims, asserting that the AAP allocated more funds for the promotion of certain schemes than were actually designated for them. For instance, while Rs 54 crore was earmarked for the Business Blasters scheme, Rs 80 crore was reportedly expended on its promotion. Regarding the Desh Ke Mentor scheme, intended to connect voluntary mentors with students in Classes 9-12 in Delhi government schools, the BJP alleged that only Rs 1.9 crore was allocated, yet Rs 27.9 crore was spent on its publicity. Similarly, for the Stubble Management scheme, an allocation of Rs 77 lakh was made, while nearly Rs 28 crore was utilized for promotional activities.
