Khirki raid: Lt Governor Najeeb Jung gives nod to prosecute AAP's Somnath Bharti

NEW DELHI: Ignoring AAP government's view, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has given his nod to prosecute former Delhi law minister and party MLA Somnath Bharti in connection with alleged misbehaviour with African women during a midnight raid in south Delhi in January, 2014.
"LG has given the police sanction to prosecute Bharti. However, home minister Satyendra Jain recently suggested that prosecution sanction should not be given against Bharti," LG office sources said.

The sources said that taking cognisance of seriousness of the case, Jung has given his approval for Bharti's prosecution.

Earlier this year, a court had asked the police to get prosecution sanction against Bharti from the competent authority.

The LG's decision comes amid a running turf battle with Arvind Kejriwal government and is likely to further embitter relations between the two.

In its charge sheet filed in September last year, police had said that "nine African women were victims of molestation and manhandling by a mob led by Bharti" in Khirki Extension area.

On the intervening night of January 15-16, Bharti and his supporters had allegedly forcibly detained and threatened some African women during a confrontation with police in his constituency of Malviya Nagar here over inaction against a suspected drug and prostitution ring.

Bharti, who was then a minister in the AAP government, had denied the charges.

The former Delhi's law minister is not the only AAP MLA facing legal troubles. On June 9, the then Law Minister in AAP government Jitender Singh Tomar was arrested on charges of possessing fake degrees. Tomar later resigned from the Cabinet. In July, AAP MLA from Kondli Manoj Kumar was arrested in connection with a case of alleged cheating and land grabbing.

Bharti, known for courting controversies, faced flak yesterday for saying that "beautiful women" would be able to go out at midnight provided AAP government takes over policing system in the national capital.

"I am fully confident that if Delhi government is given full freedom (over security), beautiful women will be able to go out even after midnight without any fear" Bharti said during a discussion on setting up of 'Commission of Inquiry' in the Delhi Assembly here.

Senior BJP leader Vijendra Gupta said that it was a "highly objectionable" remark while Congress had dubbed it as "absolutely disgusting and derogatory towards women".

"But it is not surprising coming from someone who defied law even when he was law minister. It really shows his attitude," DPCC chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee said.

However, Bharti today defended his remarks saying it was just a figure of speech.

"I said it in context of setting a benchmark. Sometimes beauty can become a bane. It is just a figure of speech... to convey the benchmark we intend to keep" while addressing issue of security, he said.

In June this year, Bharti's wife Lipika had approached the Delhi Commission for Women, accusing him of domestic violence.

Bharti and 17 others were charge sheeted on September 29 in the midnight raid case under 16 sections of the Indian Penal Code, including outraging the modesty of women in the case.

In the 100-page document, police cited around 41 prosecution witnesses, including nine African women, to buttress the charges.

Police had lodged a first information report Jan 19 last year against "unidentified accused" on the court's direction and booked them on various charges dealing with wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.

The court order came on a plea by a Ugandan woman who sought registration of an FIR against people involved in the incident.
Bharti refused to react to LG's nod to prosecute him saying he has not seen the order.

"Neither have I seen the text nor the decision. So until and unless I have seen it I cannot say anything," he said.

"I have no idea. They are (acting) within their domain to activate their case or deactivate the case," Bharti said.