New Delhi, 24 April (H.S.):

Rouse Avenue Court has acquitted Aam Aadmi Party MLA and former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti, along with 16 other accused, in the 2014 case involving alleged misconduct against African women. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal passed the order discharging the accused. Besides Somnath Bharti, those acquitted include Aditya, Badlu Khan, Badal Khan, Deepak Chauhan, Anil Kumar, Pawan Saini, Naresh Saini, Dharam Chand Rana, Ved Saini, Rajesh Saini, Hemant Saini, Sanjeev Saini, Vijay Saini, Devender Chauhan, Indra Saini and Shyamala Saini.

Earlier, the case was being heard at Patiala House Court.

On June 30, 2018, that court had framed charges against 16 of the 17 accused, while declaring one accused, Anil Saini, a proclaimed offender. The charges were framed under Sections 323, 147 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code. Later, cases against Members of Parliament and MLAs were transferred to Raouse Avenue Court for trial, and the trial in this matter proceeded there.

During the intervening night of January 15 and 16, 2014, Delhi Police registered a case against Somnath Bharti and several others based on a complaint lodged by some foreign women. According to the Delhi Police charge sheet, on the intervening night of January 15 and 16, 2014, Somnath Bharti allegedly entered the houses of some women in Malviya Nagar under the pretext of a raid and committed acts of misconduct against them.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar