AAP MlA from Delhi Cantonment area Surinder Singh, arrested for allegedly assaulting an NDMC worker, was on Saturday granted bail by a court in Delhi.
Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha also released the two other accused— Singh’s driver Pankaj and assistant Praveen — on a personal bond of Rs30,000 each with one surety of the like amount.
The court turned down Delhi Police’s plea for judicial custody of the accused and granted them bail observing that none of the offences for which they have been booked were punishable with jail term for more than seven years and there was no chance of their absconding or fleeing.
“Further, the statements of the witnesses under section 164 CrPC have already been recorded. Also, the accused are not required for the purpose of custodial interrogation or for the purpose of effecting any recovery. Furthermore, it has been averred that this case is actuated by political vendetta. Thus, no prejudice is likely to be caused to the prosecution in case the accused persons are admitted to bail,” the court said.
While granting bail, the court imposed several conditions on the accused saying they would cooperate in the probe and shall not tamper with evidence or intimidate the witnesses. The accused, who were arrested on Friday, were produced before the court and the Delhi Police moved an application for remanding them to judicial custody.
During the hearing, special public prosecutor Anupam S Sharma said the accused were trying to fabricate evidence and threats have also been extended to victim Mukesh. He said bail pleas of the accused should be dismissed as a session court had rejected Surender’s anticipatory bail plea and as charges under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been slapped on them, only a session court can hear the bail pleas.
Countering the submissions of police, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, appearing for Surender, said, “There is a cold war between AAP and the party which is in power (in Centre). He (Surender) is the member of the party which is in power in Delhi while the other party is in control of the Delhi Police.” He said the case was motivated by a political vendetta only to “stifle and embarrass the ruling party of Delhi”. Gupta also said fair investigation was not conducted in the case and if the accused have passed any alleged derogatory or casteist remarks, it was a matter of trial.
Reacting on the court order, AAP issued a Press statement saying that implication of Commando Surinder in this case is a clear example of how the Delhi Police has allowed itself to be used by the BJP’s Central Government to trouble elected MlAs, which is making desperate attempts to settle scores with its political rivals.
“Despite assertions by the top brass of the Delhi Police that it is not under any sort of political pressure, its repeated unsuccessful attempts to browbeat AAP leaders and volunteers, make it clear that it has allowed its impartiality to be compromised. AAP makes it clear that the party will not be cowed down by such threats and will continue to work for the people of Delhi, particularly the poor and downtrodden. Police have a lot to answer and its choice is clear whether it will work according to law or will it continue to work according to diktats of its political masters,” it said.
On August 4, Surender Singh was booked for allegedly manhandling an NDMC worker in Tughlaq road area when a team of municipal officials was doing a routine check up and had apprehended an e-rickshaw driver to ascertain his documents.
Singh was the third AAP MlA who has been arrested in the last two months. Former Delhi law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar was held in a fake degree case in June and Kondli legislator Manoj Kumar was apprehended in July in a cheating case.