Delhi Police was asked by the Delhi High Court on Friday to file a status report in connection with the alleged attack by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers on the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal earlier this week.
A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Navin Chawla, hearing a petition by AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj concerning the incident, granted time to Delhi Police to file its status report in connection with the ongoing investigation in a sealed cover. “Some took law into their hands. An element of fear was sought to be created. That is evident. The police force was inadequate...They did try to stop them but they were outnumbered," the court observed. Delhi Police, represented by Additional Solicitor-General Sanjay Jain, told the court that the police has registered an FIR on its own in relation to the attack and is taking all steps to address the safety concerns.
He added that all the evidence, including the CCTV footage from cameras around the Chief Minister’s residence as well as the arterial roads towards it, would be preserved.
"Delhi Police will set up a meeting with the Chief Minister’s secretariat. We don't know if they are feeling any apprehension," said Jain who claimed that instant petition was "misconceived."
He added that eight people have already been arrested in relation to the case and an investigation is underway. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the petitioner, urged the court to issue a notice on the petition and pass a direction for the preservation of CCTV footage of the incident. Senior advocate Rahul Mehta, also appearing for the petitioner, objected to the registration of an "unnamed" FIR when there are videos to show the presence of a Member of Parliament. "This is too premature," the court stated.
Bhardwaj, in his petition through advocate Bharat Gupta, has sought the constitution of an SIT to probe the alleged attack and argued that the vandalisation of the official residence of the Chief Minister appears to have been carried out with Delhi Police's tacit complicity.
“On March 30 several BJP goons, in the garb of a protest, launched an attack on official residence of the Delhi Chief Minister. Videos and photographs show that these goons casually walked through the security cordon (maintained by Delhi Police), kicked and broke boom barrier, broke CCTVs cameras with lathis, threw paint on gate of residence and almost climbed over gate, while Delhi Police personnel simply looked on, doing little to stop the protestors,” the plea alleged.