Sex CD case: AAP MLA moves court seeking separate jail van

Sacked Delhi minister Sandeep Kumar, arrested on rape charges, today approached a Delhi court seeking a separate van for his production from jail to court apprehending threat to life from supporters of other political parties during transportation.

The plea was filed before Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry who fixed the application for hearing tomorrow when Kumar would be produced from jail on expiry of his 14-day judicial custody.

Advocate Pradeep Rana, representing the AAP MLA, claimed in the plea that it was a politically motivated case and some miscreants may try to harm Kumar in the jail van. “Since the inception of the present FIR, the matter has been in public eye and the applicant (Kumar) apprehends that being a politically motivated case, the supporters of other political parties or a miscreant might try to harm him.

“Jail/police authorities may be directed to provide for a special separate van or separate armed guard (SAG) for attending the court proceedings on the given dates or allow him to mark his appearance through video conferencing,” the plea said. 

It said the MLA feared that some untoward incident may occur with him at the time of his appearance before the court and “that on previous occasion the proceedings against him were marred by undue controversies with the apparent aim to hog the limelight.” 

Kumar, who is in judicial custody till tomorrow, was arrested on September 3 after a woman approached Sultanpuri police station in North Delhi complaining of sexual harassment against the ex-Social Welfare and Women and Child Development minister, following which a case was filed. 

The woman had allegedly figured in an objectionable video with him. He has been booked under Sections 376 (rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison with intent to commit an offence) of IPC, under Section 67A of IT Act and Section 7 (public servant taking gratification for an official act) of Prevention of Corruption Act.