Court dismissed Bharti's plea for further probe in midnight raid case

A Delhi court today dismissed a plea of AAP MLA Somnath Bharti seeking further investigation in a case of alleged molestation of African women during a raid in the national capital.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal dismissed the application, saying the points sought to be probed further were not relevant for the purpose of prosecution and that the politician would get an opportunity to prove his defence during the course of the trial.

"There is no need for further prolonging this matter by directing further investigation on the points raised by the applicant (Bharti) as neither they are relevant for the purpose of prosecution nor are the facts which needs police assistance to unearth them.

"Whether the applicant is innocent or is guilty shall be the subject matter of trial. The applicant will get full opportunity to prove his defence after the prosecution evidence is over," the court said.

In his application, Bharti had alleged that police had suppressed several facts from the court which needed to be probed.

It had stated that he was falsely implicated and the investigation conducted by the present investigating officer (IO) was highly deficient, as the IO had deliberately not taken into consideration all the facts and documents in the case in order to "protect his colleagues, and so that their illegal side-income from the drugs-and-prostitution ring remains undisturbed".

The Delhi Police had in September 2014 filed a charge sheet alleging that "nine African women were victims of molestation and manhandling by a mob led by then law minister Somnath Bharti".

Bharti and 17 others have been booked under various sections of the IPC, including 354 (outraging women's modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 147 (rioting).