A Delhi court on Thursday awarded 6-month jail term to AAP MLA Som Dutt in a 2015 assault case. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Samar Vishal also imposed a penalty of Rs 2 lakh on Dutt, who was convicted by the court last week.
A Delhi Court awards 6 months jail to AAP MLA Somdutt for voluntarily causing grievous hurt in a 2015 case.During Delhi Assembly poll campaign he&50 men went to Gulabi Bagh&continuously rang door bell of a Sanjiv Rana’s house. When he objected, he was attacked by MLA’s supporters
— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2019
On July 1, the ACMM held Dutt, a legislator from Sadar Bazar constituency, guilty under Section 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt without provocation), 341 (wrongful restraint), 147 (rioting), and Section 149 (unlawful assembly ) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The maximum punishment for causing grievous injury is seven years. The court had then announced that the quantum of punishment would be pronounced on July 4.
It was alleged that during the 2015 Delhi Assembly election campaign, Som, along with 50 supporters went to Gulabi Bagh and continuously rang the doorbell of one Sanjiv Rana’s house. When he objected, he was attacked by MLA and his supporters.
“There is no doubt that on January 10, 2015, at around 8 pm, Som Dutt, along with his 50 supporters, went to flat No.13 where the complainant was present. The complainant was beaten and assaulted by the accused and his associates due to which he suffered grievous injury,” the court had said while convicting Dutt.
On the basis of a complaint received from Sanjiv Rana, the Delhi police had registered an FIR( First Information Report) against the AAP leader in 2015. Rana had alleged that during the canvassing at Gulabi Bagh in North Delhi, Dutt and his supporters hit his leg with a baseball bat. He further submitted that after an argument, Dutt dragged him out on the road and beat him, causing grievous injuries.
Rana’s allegations were denied by Dutt who in turn accused Rana of fighting with him and his supporters under intoxication while they were peacefully campaigning.
However, on May 18, 2017, Metropolitan Magistrate Ruby Neeraj Kumar had framed charges against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Som Dutt in the rioting case.
A few days ago, another AAP MLA Manoj Kumar was convicted and sentenced to three months in jail for obstructing the election process at a polling booth in Kalyan Puri area of East Delhi during 2013 Assembly elections.
Last year on October 9, the sessions court of Delhi had convicted Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Deoli, Prakash Jarwal, under IPC section 352(assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 354(Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and section 506(1) (criminal intimidation).
