Delhi hotel brawl: Ashish Pandey granted bail

The Patiala House Court on Friday granted bail to Ashish Pandey, son of former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Member of Parliament (MP) Rakesh Pandey, in connection with his involvement in a brawl that took place in the premises of a five-star hotel in the national capital recently.

The bail comes a day after a charge sheet was filed against Ashish, who was seen brandishing a gun outside the five-star hotel last month.

Ashish's counsel had stated that his client took out the gun in the spur of the moment and is entitled to keep a weapon for safety of the people around him and himself. Ashish, too, cited the same argument.

"Ashish Pandey only brought the weapon from the car because he felt threatened and for the safety of the women around him, and he had enough self-control not to use the weapon while he argued," the counsel added.

The counsel had further said that while Pandey is ready to cooperate and deposit the pistol, the hype owing to his father's political stature, has become a cause of concern for him.

"This matter is politically motivated," Ashish's lawyer had earlier stated in the court.