Delhi HC issues notice in Parvesh Verma slap case, seeks response

A bench of Justice Sachin Datta sought responses from the Delhi Police and Parvesh Verma, and listed the matter for November 2.

The Delhi high court on Thursday issued notice on a petition filed by Sahib Singh, who was allegedly slapped by Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar on September 27, seeking an independent, judicially supervised inquiry into his complaint.

Parvesh Verma was embroiled in controversy on September 27 after a video showed him slapping a man, later identified as AAP worker Sahib Singh. (@p_sahibsingh/X)

A bench of Justice Sachin Datta sought responses from the Delhi Police and Verma, and listed the matter for November 2.

Singh raises concerns against local police involvement

In his petition, Singh said he approached the local police and submitted a written complaint to the station house officer (SHO) of Tilak Nagar police station, but alleged that no effective action was taken.

He further claimed that his mobile phone, containing a video of the incident, was forcibly taken and damaged, after which he was allegedly surrounded and assaulted by people accompanying the minister.

Singh said police personnel, including officers from the local police establishment, were also present during subsequent events. Since allegations had been raised about their conduct, he argued that entrusting the inquiry to the local police could raise concerns about its independence and credibility. “The office of the cabinet minister is believed to be for the welfare of the people of the state, however, the said act of the minister is nothing but gross misuse of office for personal/political vendetta and to usurp the charge of corruption, which was apparently visible on the face of record,” the petition said.

Singh also alleged that after he initiated legal proceedings, his private mobile number was circulated, resulting in repeated abusive and threatening calls and messages from unknown numbers and social media accounts. He sought preservation of CCTV footage and other electronic evidence from September 25 to 30 in view of the alleged threats.

Verma was embroiled in controversy on September 27 after a video showed him slapping a man, later identified as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker Singh, during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar. Singh was recording the visit on his cellphone as people questioned the minister about the quality of road construction.

In one clip, AAP legislator Jarnail Singh is seen pulling out chunks of the newly laid road surface with his hands and showing them to Verma. Later in the clip, Verma pushes down the hands of a man recording him and slaps him. People at the spot then intervene and separate the two.

After the videos surfaced on social media, Verma defended his actions in a video posted on X, alleging that AAP workers had abused his family.