Midnight raid: Court reserves order on ex-minister Bharti's plea

A court here Tuesday reserved its order on former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti's plea seeking registration of a first information report against police officers for a biased probe into the alleged Jan 16 midnight raid on a Delhi house.

Metropolitan Magistrate Niti Phutela fixed Nov 3 for delivering the order.

Bharti and 17 others were chargesheeted under 16 sections of the Indian Penal Code, including outraging the modesty of women in the case Sep 29.

Bharti appeared personally in the court with his defence counsel Deepak Khosla and sought an FIR against unknown police officials under various charges dealing with framing incorrect record, corruptly making report, false charge of offence made with intent to injure and various others.

The chargesheet was filed by police Sep 29. In the over 100-page document, police have cited around 41 prosecution witnesses, including nine African women, to buttress the charges.

Police lodged a first information report Jan 19 against "unknown accused" on the court's direction and booked them for various charges dealing with wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.

The court order had come on a plea by a Ugandan woman who sought registration of an FIR against unknown people for creating a ruckus during the raid between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. in Khirki Extension here Jan 16 this year.

The minister had allegedly visited a house in Khirki Extension after receiving complaints about an alleged prostitution and drug racket in the area.