Delhi HC Asks for Sealed Report on Vandalism Outside CM Kejriwal's Residence

The Additional SG said that the evidence regarding the case, including CCTV footage, would be preserved entirely.

The court said that it was evident that there were attempts to create fear, adding that the Delhi Police would be required to give their explanation regarding the incident.

(Deeksha Malhotra/Altered by The Quint) 

The Delhi High Court on Friday, 1 April, asked for a report in a sealed cover regarding the violence that took place outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence on 30 March.

The court said that the report must be submitted by the Delhi Police within two weeks, as per a report by The Indian Express.

The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla remarked that it was evident that there were attempts to create fear, adding that the Delhi Police would be required to give its explanation regarding the incident.

"We have seen the video. It is an unruly crowd. People broke boom-barrier, some even tried to climb the gate. They tried to take law in their hands. We also find that police force was inadequate and was outnumbered. So you will have to explain what was your bandobast. What intimation you had about this incident happening. We will have to see all this," the court said, according to LiveLaw.

AAP Demanding SIT Probe

The court took up the matter after a petition was filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, who sought a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the matter. Bharadwaj accused the police of abdicating their duty and sought a probe into the role of the police officers responsible for maintaining the security outside the CM's residence.

Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who was representing the Delhi police, said that a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered and that the police had already taken steps to address the petitioner's concerns.

He also added that the evidence regarding the case would be preserved in its entirety, including CCTV footage of the incident.

Scenes of violence and vandalism had unfolded outside Kejriwal's official residence on Wednesday, after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, led by Yuva Morcha president and Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya, clashed with the police during a protest against the AAP chief's remarks on the recently released movie The Kashmir Files.

However, the BJP accused the AAP of spreading falsehoods to "divert attention" from Kejriwal's "statements on Kashmiri Pandits."

The Delhi Police on Thursday said that it had arrested eight people in this regard.

(With inputs from LiveLaw and The Indian Express.)