Ensure safety measures at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s house: HC tells police

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj sought the formation of an SIT to probe the March 30 incident outside the chief minister’s residence during a protest against Kejriwal’s remarks on “The Kashmir Files”

The Delhi high court directed the city police on Thursday to ensure that measures for the safety and security of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence are implemented in view of an incident of vandalism during a protest in March.

Members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) had allegedly breached the barricades outside Kejriwal’s residence in the presence of police personnel. (HT Photo)

A bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and justice Subramonium Prasad closed the proceedings on a public interest litigation (PIL) matter filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, seeking the formation of an SIT to probe the March 30 incident outside the chief minister’s residence during a protest against Kejriwal’s remarks on “The Kashmir Files”, a film on the plight of displaced Kashmiri Pandits.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel told the court that the grievances raised in the plea have been satisfied in view of the assurances given by the Delhi Police in several status reports filed before the court.

The court directed the Delhi Police to ensure that the steps mentioned in its status reports regarding the safety and security of the chief minister’s house are implemented.

Additional solicitor general (ASG) Sanjay Jain told the court that the Delhi Police, in order to ensure the security and safety at the CM’s residence, steps have been taken.

Earlier, the police’s counsel had told the court that two gates would be put up on both ends of the road leading to the chief minister’s residence and that 60 per cent of the work was complete and the remaining work would be completed soon.

The counsel had also told the court that police had filed a charge sheet against 30 people in the case concerning the incident outside Kejriwal’s residence.

Scores of members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had allegedly breached the barricades outside Kejriwal’s residence and destroyed public property in the presence of police personnel.

Bhardwaj, in his petition, had sought the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident and argued that the vandalisation of the chief minister’s official residence appears to have been carried out with the Delhi Police’s tacit complicity.