The Delhi High Court has sought responses from the Delhi Police and Delhi Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Verma on a plea seeking an independent investigation into an alleged assault during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar, West Delhi. The court has also asked the police to submit a status report and listed the matter for further hearing on November 17.
Justice Sachin Datta issued notice on the petition filed by Sahib Singh, who says he was slapped during the inspection of a newly laid road on September 27. Singh has described himself as an associate of Tilak Nagar Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jarnail Singh and said he manages the legislator’s social media accounts.
The petition seeks an independent probe into allegations of assault, threats and police inaction. It also seeks protection for Singh and his family, preservation of CCTV footage and other electronic evidence, and legal action based on his complaint. The police counsel objected to the maintainability of the petition during the hearing.
According to the plea, Singh was recording the proceedings on his mobile phone when Verma allegedly became agitated over questions about the quality of road construction and allegations of corruption. Singh alleged that he was slapped, abused and threatened, and that his mobile phone containing video recordings was forcibly taken and damaged.
Singh further alleged that the incident was recorded and streamed on social media platforms. He said he approached the Station House Officer of Vikas Puri police station with his complaint on the day of the incident and later submitted a detailed complaint to the police commissioner on September 29. The complaint sought a fair investigation, legal action and protection for him and his family.
The plea also raised questions about the conduct of police personnel present at the site. Singh alleged that a member of Verma’s security team pushed him and helped the minister leave, while police officials did not intervene. He claimed that he subsequently received threats and abusive calls and messages from various mobile numbers and social media accounts.
The incident occurred during Verma’s inspection of a newly laid road in Tilak Nagar, where videos showed the minister slapping a man who was recording an exchange after MLA Jarnail Singh questioned the roadwork. Verma has alleged that the man abused his family. The allegations remain before the court, which has not made a finding on the merits of the petition.
The Aam Aadmi Party welcomed the High Court’s notice and called for an independent inquiry. AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the Delhi Police had not registered a first information report against Verma. The court has sought responses from both the police and the minister before the next hearing on November 17.
