The issue of who will represent Delhi cops crops up in HC

A day after the apex court said that the elected government should have some powers otherwise it cannot function, the issue whether Delhi Police would be represented by the Centre or the AAP government in criminal cases cropped up in the Delhi High Court today.
Opposing the appearance of private lawyers in a matter involving officials of Delhi Police, AAP government's senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra said the high court has already settled that appointment of special prosecutors are in "our domain".
Mehra said if the policemen were being represented in their personal capacity then he has no objection, but if they were being represented by private lawyers in their official capacity then first he should have been taken into confidence.

The issue came to the fore during the hearing of a plea by Syed Mohammed Imran, son-in-law of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, seeking contempt action against his estranged wife and some cops alleging that he was arrested "casually" in a criminal case in contravention of the apex court guidelines.
"I object to the presence of the other lawyers. I want to know whether they are before the court in the personal capacity of the officer, against whom contempt action has been sought, or in official capacity of the officer.
"Factually Delhi Police has to be represented by me and every file in this regard has to go from my office. I should be aware of as to who is representing the case. There is an office alloted to me, and sanctity of that office has to be maintained," Mehra argued before Justice Manmohan.

To this, Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain responded that he has the high regard for the Delhi government and he was appearing in the matter as an arguing counsel and was being briefed by another lawyer who was representing one of the cops, the investigating officer, in a personal capacity.

Dikshit's son-in-law has contended that the FIR was wrongly lodged against him under penal provisions relating to cheating, dishonest misappropriation of the property and theft.
Taking note of Mehra's grievance, the court said that Mehra should be informed about who will represent the policemen in the matter and under what capacity.

"The ASG should also communicate and settle the issue as he (Mehra) should not feel that he is being bypassed," the judge said, adding that "if that is not settled, then the counsel (Mehra) can inform him and he will pass order".
The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on December 22.
Dikshit's daughter Latika has alleged that her estranged husband Imran took away papers of a land, owned by her at Nainital, despite having been told not to do so.
Imran was arrested on November 10 from Bangalore and brought here on transit remand, and was granted bail by a court here on November 24.

Latika and Imran had got married in 1996, but were living separately for the last 10 months.
In her complaint filed in June, Latika had alleged that Imran's attitude had changed towards her and had become aggressive and rude after her mother lost in the Delhi Assembly polls.