FSL Submits CD Report in Kejriwal Defacement Case, Court Tells Police to Finish Probe
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) on Monday submitted its sealed report on a CD in a public property defacement case against former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, ex-MLA Gulab Singh, and MCD councillor Nitika Sharma.
The Delhi Police had registered an FIR in the matter on the orders of the Rouse Avenue Court.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Neha Mittal took the report and results on record, directing the FSL to furnish an additional copy to the Investigation Officer (IO) and asking the IO to complete the investigation.
The matter will now be heard on August 27.
The case stems from alleged violations of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act in the Dwarka area in 2019. The FIR was lodged following a March 11 order from ACJM Mittal, allowing an application under Section 156(3) CrPC filed by complainant Shiv Kumar Saksena. The court had then directed the concerned SHO to register an FIR under Section 3 of the Act and any other applicable offences.
On May 8, the Court had permitted the IO to send the CD, containing photographs and accompanied by a Section 65B certificate, to the FSL for examination after the complainant expressed inability to provide the images. Despite repeated directions on May 23 and June 10 to expedite the process, the report was delayed, prompting the court to summon the FSL Director personally. The Court had summoned the Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to appear in person on June 28 over the failure to submit a forensic report pertaining to a CD.
It is to be noted that on May 23, the Delhi Court had sought the response of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in the 2019 case. The Court had issued notice to the Director of the FSL, directing the concerned Station House Officer (SHO) to expedite the forensic report and submit it before the court. The matter had been posted for further hearing on June 9.
The Court’s direction came after Delhi Police submitted a status report stating that a compact disc (CD) containing alleged evidence had been sent to the FSL for expert analysis, and the results were awaited.
“Status report has been filed as per which the CD has been sent to FSL for expert opinion and result of the same is awaited... Issue notice to the Director, FSL through concerned SHO with request to expedite the result in the present case,” the Court had stated.
The case pertains to a complaint filed in 2019, which alleged that Kejriwal, then Matiala MLA Gulab Singh, and then Dwarka A ward councillor Nitika Sharma, all from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), misused public funds by putting up large banners and hoardings in the area.
The banners bore the names and photographs of the accused and were allegedly displayed at various public places.
The Court had earlier directed the registration of an FIR on March 11, 2025, under the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, observing that hanging banners or affixing hoardings amounts to defacement under Section 3 of the Act.
The complainant had submitted visual evidence with timestamps to support the allegations.
A Magisterial Court had initially dismissed the complaint in September 2022. However, the order was set aside by a sessions court on January 21, 2025, which directed the magistrate to reconsider the matter afresh.
Case Title: Shiv Kumar Saxena v. Arvind Kumar & Ors.
Hearing Date: August 11, 2025
Bench: ACJM Neha Mittal