Delhi court order on ex-minister's bail plea on November 7

A Delhi court on Thursday reserved its order for November 7 on a bail plea of sacked Delhi Minister Sandeep Kumar, who was arrested on charge of rape.

Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry reserved the order after both the defence and prosecution concluded their arguments.

Kumar, a minister in the Aam Aadmi Party government who was later sacked, said he was in custody for nearly two months now whereas the case probe is still incomplete.

The bail plea said Kumar's conduct since the first information report was filed against him had been good and unquestionable and he had himself surrendered before the police.

The Delhi Police, while opposing the bail plea, told the court that he can try to influence witnesses and the complainant in the case if he was released on bail.

The former Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Minister, who was also suspended from the Aam Aadmi Party, was arrested on September 3 on a complaint filed with the Sultanpuri police station in north Delhi by a woman who figured in a sex video with him.

He was booked under Sections 376 (committing rape) and 328 (causing hurt with poison, with an intent to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code.

The AAP legislator was also charged under Section 67-A (publishing or transmitting material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The woman said in her complaint that she was sexually harassed by Kumar at his office-cum-residence in the Sultanpuri area where she had gone to get her ration card made.

--IANS

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