Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung has sought the President’s assent to register a criminal case against former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti in connection with the midnight raid against African women. The development follows the Delhi Home Department’s observation that such a case was made out against Mr. Bharti.
The judicial probe report by retired Additional District Judge B.L. Garg had virtually given a clean chit to the Malviya Nagar Police in the incident in Khirki Extension. The report was submitted to Mr. Jung in February 2014.
According to sources in the Delhi Secretariat, the Lt. Governor had forwarded the report to the State government’s Home and Law and Justice departments seeking their views on it.
The Home Department, which stated that a criminal case was made out against the former Law Minister, had sought the Law Department’s views on whether Mr. Bharti’s name should be involved in the already registered case against unknown persons or a separate case needed to be registered.
After the Home Department’s report in this matter, the Lt. Governor has sought President Pranab Mukherjee’s permission to register a case against Mr. Bharti.
The report by Judge Garg indicated that the police acted as per law and that the Minister’s supporters interfered in police duty.
The Lt. Governor had ordered the probe into the incident which took place in January. Delhi Police had registered a case in the matter on January 19 against unknown persons.
