Rape case against ex-min: Court dismisses plea as withdrawn

A special court today dismissed sacked Delhi minister Sandeep Kumar's plea seeking direction to the police to file a status report on the probe in the rape case against him.
Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry, however, gave liberty to Kumar to file the plea after some time after the police informed the court that it was awaiting sanction to prosecute the accused, as also the forensic science laboratory report.
"The application is dismissed as withdrawn. Accused is at liberty to file it after some time," the court said.
The court, which had earlier directed the police to expedite the probe, also asked the investigating agency to expedite the process.

During the hearing, the SHO of Sultanpuri Police Station said the Deputy Commissioner of Police has already written a letter to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) authorities to expedite the analysis and give its report.
Kumar's counsel said he had earlier also filed a similar plea seeking to know the status of the probe and the police had given the same reply that they were awaiting FSL report and sanction to prosecute the accused.

He asked why was the police delaying the probe and not filing the charge sheet in the case.
The court was hearing Kumar's plea contending that the police has been sitting over the FIR for seven months and they should inform the court when they had sent the file for seeking sanction to prosecute him and how much time will it take to complete the probe.

Kumar, who was arrested on September 3 last year, was granted bail by the court on November 7, 2016. He was arrested after a woman had lodged a complaint at Sultanpuri Police Station in north Delhi alleging sexual harassment by the former minister.
The woman had allegedly figured in an objectionable video with him.
Kumar, an MLA from Sultanpur Majra, was removed as a minister and the AAP on August 31, 2016 after the CD had surfaced. Kumar had claimed he had been targeted.