BJP MLA granted interim bail,cops face flak for discrimination

A BJP MLA arrested for making casteist remarks at a party worker was today granted interim bail by a Delhi court, which also pulled up the police for "its blatant exhibition of institutionalised discrimination between the common man and the elected representatives".
Kulwant Rana, an MLA from Rithala constituency, was granted interim bail for three months by Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau on an undertaking that he would not indulge in any criminal activity in future making himself liable to prosecution.
Rana, who was taken to custody on court's order on April 22 after he surrendered before it, was granted bail on a bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

He has named in the charge sheet under the Scheduled Castes and Schedules Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after a case was registered against him on a complaint by Karan Singh, a member of BJP's Kisaan Morcha and also a property dealer.
Noting that Rana was a habitual offender with a history of cases of rioting, obstructing traffic on highways, obstructing DDA, MCD and police officials from performing their duties with brazen use of criminal force, the judge directed him not to approach the complainant, surrender his passport and appear before the court regularly while on bail.
The court had taken note of all the cases against Rana dating back to the 90s.

In its order, the court also pulled up the police for not arresting Rana at first citing apprehension of law and order problem and then opposing his bail plea after he was sent in custody by the court.
The court noted that at first the Investigating Officer (IO), an ACP, filed the charge sheet against Rana without arresting him as he stated that since he was an elected representative there was no likelihood of him fleeing and then telling the court that his arrest would have caused law and order problem.