Delhi HC defers journalist’s arrest protection plea
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high ourt on Thursday declined to urgently list a woman journalist’s plea seeking interim protection from arrest in a case registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on a complaint by Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat.The court said it would hear the matter on Friday.The plea was mentioned before a division bench of acting chief justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and justice Sanjay Sharma. The journalist’s counsel sought an urgent hearing on Thursday and requested interim protection from arrest, but the bench declined to take up the matter immediately.The FIR was registered at Parliament Street police station following a complaint by Bhagat over alleged caste-based humiliation, intimidation and obstruction of official duty during a protest at Buta Singh Roundabout on October 3.According to the FIR, Bhagat, who is posted in the Connaught Place subdivision of New Delhi district, was deployed for law-and-order duty during a protest against the Election Commission of India when the alleged incident took place. He claimed that a journalist made derogatory remarks about his caste identity while referring to his nameplate and appointment as an assistant commissioner of police.
Bhagat stated in his complaint that he belongs to the Scheduled Caste community.
The FIR names Rosy, Gajendra and an unidentified person as accused.The journalist, meanwhile, has accused Bhagat of sexual harassment in connection with the October 3 incident. Her allegations and the claims made in the FIR remain subject to investigation and judicial determination.The FIR invokes Sections 221, 356(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3(1)(p), 3(1)(q), 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The High Court is scheduled to hear the journalist’s plea for interim protection from arrest on Friday.