The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to grant an urgent hearing to a female journalist seeking protection from coercive action in a case initiated by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the Delhi Police. The ACP alleges that the journalist made casteist remarks and publicly humiliated him during a protest earlier this month.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the journalist had previously lodged a sexual assault complaint against the ACP, Vivek Bhagat. The Delhi Police Crime Branch is currently investigating this complaint.
A division bench of the Delhi High Court, comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma, indicated that the matter would be listed for a hearing on Friday.
The journalist’s counsel mentioned the case for an urgent hearing, highlighting that the First Information Report (FIR) was registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. This registration followed the journalist’s sexual assault complaint against the police officer.
“My interim prayer is for protection (from coercive action). That is why I request for a hearing today. There is a strong apprehension,” the counsel submitted before the bench.
In response, the bench stated, “Tomorrow.”
The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against the independent journalist and other individuals based on a complaint filed by ACP Bhagat, who is posted in the Connaught Place sub-division of the New Delhi district. The ACP’s complaint alleges that he was subjected to casteist remarks, public humiliation, and defamation during a protest.
The FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Sections 221 (obstructing a public servant from discharging duty), 356(2) (defamation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the new penal code replacing the Indian Penal Code.
According to the FIR, ACP Bhagat was on law and order duty near Buta Singh roundabout, adjacent to Jantar Mantar, on October 3. He stated that he overheard the journalist making derogatory remarks about his Megh/Meghwal caste in public and questioning his appointment as an ACP.
The complainant alleged that he initially ignored the remarks and continued to perform his official duties. However, he further alleged that around 3 pm on the same day, the journalist, along with her colleagues, accused him of sexual assault during the process of handling and detaining protesters. He claimed that this confrontation obstructed his official work.
ACP Bhagat also alleged that the journalist and certain members of a group identified as the Cockroach Janta Party, including Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, and Ratna Singh, subsequently circulated posts and reels on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, making accusations against him.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
