Ashish Pandey's judicial custody extended by 14 days

The Patiala House Court on Monday extended the judicial custody of Ashish Pandey, son of former MP from Bahujan Samaj Party, Rakesh Pandey, in connection with a Delhi hotel brawl case.

The judicial custody has been extended by 14 days.

However, no bail application was moved by Ashish today.

On October 19, the court had dismissed his bail plea and sent him to judicial custody till today, in connection with the case. On October 18, the court had sent him to one-day police remand.

Ashish was formally arrested by the Delhi police following his surrender before Patiala House Court on October 18. The police had sought for a four-day custodial remand for him.

The Delhi police on Friday produced him before the Duty magistrate Sumit Anand and sought a remand of two more days to determine if there were any financial transactions that took place between Ashish and the three women who accompanied him in the car. The police had said they need to find out who all Ashish met and helped him during the period when he was absconding.

Counsel for Ashish had said that the brawl, where he took out his gun, happened at the spur of the moment and he is entitled to keep a weapon for the safety of the people around him and himself.

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

Ashish's legal counsel had said that while his client 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.

Earlier on October 18, Ashish had claimed that he did not brandish his gun in the premises of hotel Hyatt Regency and carried it for safety purposes.