KEJRIWAL'S LEGAL WOES MOUNT: FIR Registered Over Alleged Misuse of Public Funds

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a significant development, Delhi's Rouse Avenue court has directed the authorities to register an FIR against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal and other party leaders. The court's order comes in response to allegations of misusing public funds to put up large party hoardings in Dwarka in 2019. The matter was heard by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal, who ordered the Delhi Police to register the FIR and submit a compliance report by March 18. This development comes weeks after the AAP was ousted from power by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after over 10 years of rule in the national capital. Kejriwal, who lost the recent assembly election from the New Delhi constituency, is currently out on bail in the Delhi excise policy case.

The AAP government has faced allegations of corruption, including a reported loss of over ₹2000 crore to the national capital's exchequer due to the 2021-2022 excise policy. The BJP has also accused Kejriwal of running "shops of corruption" in the name of free healthcare through the AAP government-run 'Mohalla Clinics'. Kejriwal is currently on a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in Punjab but the BJP has accused him of being accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle and seeking a Rajya Sabha seat.