Midnight raid: Court orders registration of criminal case

A city court has ordered registration of a criminal case against unknown persons in connection with the midnight raid against African women by a group allegedly led by Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti which accused them of being involved in prostitution.
Metropolitan Magistrate Chetna Singh ordered registration of the complaint after the women, who were allegedly assaulted in South Delhi last week, moved an application seeking registration of criminal case against Bharti and his associates.
"The police were directed to lodge an FIR under appropriate sections of IPC, after investigating the complaint," police sources said.
They said the court has ordered the registration of FIR against the persons under sections 451 (house trespass), 427 (mischief), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of IPC.

The women - two Nigerians and two Ugandans - had approached the court yesterday with the application seeking registration of FIR before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vivek Golia, who refused to accept the application and directed them to approach the police for the same.
The magistrate told them that in case police turns down their request, they can file an appropriate application before this court.

The four women along with their counsels had yesterday filed fresh application on which the court has ordered lodging of case.
The women have alleged in their petition that they were subjected to a cavity search during their medical examination at AIIMS, which was an humiliating experience.They also alleged that Bharti and his people had asked them to give urine samples in public.

The women had earlier approached the Malviya Nagar Police Station seeking action against the men including the Law Minister who had allegedly roughed them between 1 AM and 3 AM on the intervening night of January 15-16.
When asked about the matter, Bharti said, "The whole incident would have been recorded by the TV cameras present there. I don't think any of our workers hit anyone there or said anything to anyone".