Delhi Police framing AAP leaders in baseless cases, alleges party

AAP leader Atishi Marlena, while addressing reporters at the party office on Thursday — a day after Deoli MLA Prakash Jarwal got anticipatory bail in an alleged molestation case — hit out at Delhi Police for invoking stringent sections of criminal procedure over politically motivated complaints.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday again alleged that the Delhi police was filing ‘baseless’ and ‘fabricated’ charges against its leaders. The cases, they said, were failing to stand under the court’s scrutiny.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged that the Delhi police was filing ‘baseless’ and ‘fabricated’ charges against its leaders. The cases, they said, were failing to stand under the court’s scrutiny. (HT Photo)

AAP leader Atishi Marlena, while addressing reporters at the party office on Thursday — a day after Deoli MLA Prakash Jarwal got anticipatory bail in an alleged molestation case — hit out at Delhi Police for invoking stringent sections of criminal procedure, despite being in the know that the complaints are politically motivated.

“It was clear from the beginning that the complainant was a BJP worker. Still the police invoked section 354 (molestation) deliberately, which was later struck down by the court while granting anticipatory bail to Prakash Jarwal,” said Marlena.

The AAP leader argued that the police in the past have repeatedly invoked ‘wrong sections’ in complaints against other AAP legislators as well, and the cases could not stand court scrutiny.

Marlena cited the bail order, which struck down molestation charges, in Jarwal’s case to buttress the party’s charge.

“The complaint to the police for registration of FIR says that the accused touched the dupatta of the complainant and had a scuffle with her. This statement of the complainant not at all suggests that offence u/s 354 IPC has been committed,” the court order reads.

“The complaint itself suggests that the applicant came to the house of the complainant along with 40-50 other persons and started threatening her and her husband and in these facts it is very difficult to assume that the applicant had any intention to outrage the modesty of complainant or had any lust in his mind,” it added.