Court seeks Delhi Police's response on AAP MLA's appeal against conviction, fine

A court here has sought response from the Delhi Police on an application filed by the AAP's Tughlakabad MLA, Sahi Ram Pahalwan, against a fine imposed on him for assaulting a youth in September 2016.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Arun Bhardwaj issued a notice to the Delhi Police on the appeal filed by the politician against an order of a magisterial court here and directed it to file the response by September 28.

The ASJ also stayed the directions passed by the magisterial court, asking Pahalwan to pay the fine, till the MLA's application is decided.

Pahalwan had approached the sessions court against the September 6 order of the magisterial court.

The magisterial court had not awarded any jail term to the AAP politician as "an opportunity to reform" himself.

It had directed Pahalwan and co-convicts Subhash and Lalit to pay a fine of Rs two lakh each.

The magisterial court had also awarded a compensation of Rs 1.50 lakh to the victim.

Relying on the testimony of the complainant, Yogender Bidhuri, it had held Pahalwan guilty on August 1.

The court had convicted all the three accused for the offence punishable under sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by sharp object), 341 (wrongfully restrain) and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code.

The offence carried a maximum of three years jail term.

The accused had denied the allegations levelled against them, saying that they were falsely implicated in the case.

They had claimed that they had not beaten the complainant Yogender Bidhuri and that they were not even present at the spot at the time of the alleged incident.

The complainant had earlier told the Delhi Police that a cemented road was being constructed in a lane outside his house in Tekhand. He had alleged that the MLA had "threatened" the supervisor who was observing the construction to stop work on the intervening night of September 18 and 19, 2016.

Bidhuri had claimed that he called the MLA and tried to know why he was opposing the construction of the road after which the legislator "threatened" him with "dire consequences".

He had alleged that he had gone to get medicines with a relative when the MLA along with his accomplices allegedly beat him up.