Court reserves order on Somnath Bharti’s plea for further probe

Delhi Police on Thursday questioned in a court here the maintainability of AAP MLA Somnath Bharti’s plea seeking further probe in the case of alleged molestation of some African women during his purported midnight raid last year.

The police, through special public prosecutor Atul Shrivastava, told the court that Bharti’s plea for <g data-gr-id="21">further</g> probe is not <g data-gr-id="18">maintanable</g> as cognisance of the charge sheet has not been taken by the magistrate.

He further informed the court that necessary prosecution sanction against Bharti in the case has been accorded by the competent authority.

Vijay Aggarwal, appearing for Bharti, contended that the plea was <g data-gr-id="19">maintanable</g> as charge sheet has been filed. After hearing the arguments, Additional Sessions Judge Bhupesh Kumar reserved the order for October 31. Meanwhile, the court also deferred the hearing of another plea of Bharti, seeking lodging of FIR against police officials for allegedly implicating him in the case, for next month.

Bharti has filed two revision pleas before a sessions court against the dismissal of his applications by a magisterial court seeking lodging of FIR against police personnel and seeking further probe in the case. On November 10 last year, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate had dismissed Bharti’s plea for lodging of an FIR against unnamed police personnel for allegedly implicating him in the case saying “without <g data-gr-id="23">sanction</g> of central or state government, no cognizance of offence can be taken.”