New Delhi: AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal was today granted bail by a Delhi court in a molestation case lodged against him last year.
Additional
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted the relief to Jarwal
on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and a surety of like amount, while
noting that the charge sheet has been filed in the case.
The bail
application was moved today by Jarwal's counsel Vaibhav Trivedi, saying
it was a false case lodged against the legislator and the complainant's
motive was to extort money from him.
He also told the court that the MLA has deep roots in society and will join the investigation as and when required.
The
court granted him relief while also considering that the charge sheet
was filed without arresting him and the investigation was complete.
The
charge sheet was filed on February 22 under sections 354 (assault or
criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506
(punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act
intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Deoli MLA was booked for allegedly molesting a 53-year-old woman in southeast Delhi's Sangam Vihar.
It was the second such case since June 2016 against the lawmaker, who has denied the charges.
The woman has alleged that the MLA and his supporters entered her house and touched her inappropriately on July 14, 2017.
In
June 2016, a woman had accused Jarwal of touching her inappropriately
and pushing her when she had gone to lodge a complaint regarding water
problems at the Delhi Jal Board office in southeast Delhi's Greater
Kailash area.
Since the AAP came to power in Delhi, 15 of its
MLAs have been booked under different charges with the party claiming it
was being subjected to "political vendetta".
PTI
