The Delhi High Court has issued notices to Delhi Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Verma and the Delhi government on a petition seeking an impartial investigation and police protection after a 22-year-old man was allegedly slapped during a road inspection in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar area. The court has also asked the police to submit a status report in the case.
Justice Sachin Dutta issued the directions on a petition filed by Aam Aadmi Party worker Sahib Singh, who is identified in the report as the person involved in the incident. The petition sought an independent investigation into the episode and protection for the petitioner. The court’s direction moves the dispute from a political confrontation over a road inspection into formal judicial and police scrutiny.
The incident took place during an inspection of road work in Tilak Nagar. According to the report, Verma allegedly slapped Singh after an argument. Police subsequently registered a non-cognisable report against the minister in connection with the case last week. The court has now sought a status report from the police on the progress of the matter.
The episode has also triggered separate political and legal actions. AAP legislator Jarnail Singh filed a defamation case against Verma and demanded an apology for the alleged assault. AAP leaders, including party convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, called for Verma’s arrest, while Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj pressed for a first information report against the minister.
Verma has offered a different account of the confrontation. He claimed that the young man had abused his family and said he acted in the heat of the moment. He also said that the incident should not have happened. In a separate allegation, Verma claimed that Jarnail Singh had pressured a PWD engineer to arrange a meeting with a contractor and had sought a commission. He further alleged that road work was being disrupted after payment was not made. These allegations are part of the competing claims reported in the case and have not been established by the court in the material supplied.
The dispute has placed the conduct of public officials during on-site inspections, the handling of complaints involving road works and the accountability of agencies responsible for civic construction under scrutiny. The High Court’s next consideration will depend on the police status report and the responses to the notices issued to Verma and the Delhi government.
