In a relief to Indian Youth Congress president BV Srinivas, the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted him interim protection from arrest in a case lodged by an expelled woman leader of the party from Assam accusing him of causing mental agony. Srinivas had challenged a Gauhati High Court order rejecting his anticipatory bail plea.
On May 5, the Gauhati High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Srinivas in a case lodged by Angkita Dutta, the expelled chief of Assam Youth Congress, accusing him of causing mental agony to her. A bench of Supreme Court Justices B R Gavai and Sanjay Karol issued notices to the Assam Government and others, seeking their replies in the matter by July 10.
“We have perused the (CrPC section) 164 statement which has been so graciously placed before us by the prosecution. We do not wish to say anything against the state at this stage. Taking into consideration the one-month delay in lodging FIR, the petitioner is entitled to interim protection. We direct that in the event of arrest, the petitioner shall be released on anticipatory bail on furnishing sureties to the sum of Rs 50,000,” the bench said.
The top court directed Srinivas to cooperate in the investigation and appear before the police on May 22. It also directed him to cooperate in the inquiry being carried out with the National Commission for Women. Srinivas’s counsel senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi submitted that the complainant raised the grievance of discrimination being faced in the party in the tweets before lodging the complaint.