Court reserves order on BSP leader's bail plea

Delhi Police Monday opposed the bail plea of BSP MP Dhananjay Singh, saying he was involved in the tampering of a video showing his wife torturing their maid to death.

Police told Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha that the content of the Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) was formatted Nov 1 at 6.58 p.m.

After hearing the police and Dhananjay Singh, the judge reserved the order on the bail application for Nov 20 saying she will first study the video footage.

Defence counsel and senior advocate N. Hariharan told the court that Dhananjay Singh did not play any role in the murder as he was out of the city when the maid died.

Police retorted that the telephonic call records of Dhananjay Singh and his wife Jagriti, a dentist at a government hospital, showed they were in constant touch during the incident.

Countering the defence counsel, police also told the court that the BSP MP knew that his doctor-wife was mercilessly beating their domestic help but he paid no attention.

Police said the MP was also involved in the torture as it was taking place with his knowledge.

Dhananjay Singh, it was added, informed police about the maid's death only a day later and handed over the DVRs even later.

They said the MP's wife used wooden sticks, iron rods, iron press and even metallic, artificial deer horns to beat the maids.

Police said that after the maid died, the MP tried to destroy the video recording of 20 CCTV cameras installed in his house.

The MP has blamed his wife for the death and said he had already filed for divorce. Jagriti is the second wife of Dhananjay, whose first wife committed suicide in 2007, police said.

Dhananjay Singh, who represents Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested and booked for destruction of evidence and violating the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The legislator has claimed that the deceased was not a minor by exhibiting her school record.

Hiw wife has been booked for murder, attempt to murder and also for violating the Juvenile Justice Act.

The court Monday sent the couple to two days of judicial custody.