A Delhi court on Tuesday directed authorities to file a fresh First Information Report (FIR) against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal and other party leaders over alleged misuse of public funds for party hoardings in Dwarka in 2019. The order was passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal at Rouse Avenue Court.
The development comes just weeks after Kejriwal’s AAP was ousted from power by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after ruling the national capital for over a decade. The former Delhi Chief Minister, who lost the recent assembly election from the New Delhi constituency to BJP’s Parvesh Verma, is currently out on bail in the Delhi excise policy case.
Legal Troubles Mount for Kejriwal
Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia had earlier spent months in jail after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena ordered an FIR into alleged corruption related to liquor licensing under AAP’s now-scrapped excise policy.
A recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report claimed that the 2021-22 excise policy implemented by the Kejriwal-led government led to a financial loss of over ₹2,000 crore to Delhi’s exchequer.
BJP Alleges Corruption in AAP’s Mohalla Clinics
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva has accused AAP of corruption in its flagship ‘Mohalla Clinics’ scheme. Last week, Sachdeva alleged that former health minister Satyendar Jain and Kejriwal ran “shops of corruption” under the pretense of free healthcare.
His comments came in response to Jain’s criticism of the BJP-led Delhi government’s reported plan to shut down 250 ‘Mohalla Clinics.’ “AAP leaders blame us for shutting down their clinics, but the truth is, we are closing down their corruption rackets,” Sachdeva said.
Kejriwal on Vipassana Retreat Amid Political Turmoil
Amid mounting legal troubles and political setbacks, Kejriwal is currently on a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in Punjab. The BJP, however, has alleged that his retreat is an excuse to deal with internal conflicts within AAP.
“After losing the election, he is now seeking a Rajya Sabha seat because he is addicted to a luxurious lifestyle. Vipassana is just a cover-up; the real reason for his Punjab visit is the turmoil within AAP’s Punjab unit,” Sachdeva claimed.
Sources By Agencies
