Court reserves order on Bharti's plea for FIR against cops

A Delhi court on Friday reserved for November 10 its orders on pleas by AAP leader Somnath Bharti seeking to lodge an FIR against unnamed police personnel who allegedly implicated him in a molestation case and defamation case against a magistrate.

A Delhi court on Friday reserved for November 10 its orders on pleas by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti seeking to lodge an FIR against unnamed police personnel who allegedly implicated him in a molestation case and defamation case against a magistrate.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Tarun Yogesh heard both the matters in which Bharti, former Law Minister, alleged that the police implicated him by fabricating evidence and suppressing crucial facts for purportedly molesting some African women.

In the defamation matter, his counsel said that a metropolitan magistrate in her order has allegedly used words which amounts to defaming him (counsel).

Bharti's plea was heard by the ACMM as Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Ankita Lal had on November 5 transfered back the matter to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate after Bharti's counsel had objected to longer date for hearing.

On November 3, MM Niti Phutela, who had earlier heard the same plea of Bharti for registration of an FIR against police officials, recused herself from the matter saying in her order that advocate Khosla had used "unparliamentary language" and insulted the court.

Against the order of Magistrate Phutela, Khosla filed a criminal defamation case against her.

On October 27, Bharti had first moved two pleas for registration of an FIR against police and for further probe in the court which was to hear arguments on consideration of charge sheet filed in the case pertaining to alleged molestation of some African women in his purported midnight raid earlier this year in which he and 17 others are named as accused.

In its charge sheet filed on September 27, the police had said "nine African women were victims of molestation and manhandling by a mob led by the then Law Minister Somnath Bharti."