A Delhi court on Friday acquitted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti and 17 others in connection with a midnight raid conducted in January 2014, which allegedly targeted women from Africa in South Delhi's Khirki Extension. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal held that the charges were not proven, noting that the statements of the victims were deemed inadmissible as they did not appear in court. The court further observed that any instance of unlawful assembly could not be established, and the prosecution failed to prove its case.
Key Observations by the Court
During the hearing, the court pointed out that the prosecution could not satisfactorily explain the delay in lodging the First Information Report (FIR). It also noted that the identity of the alleged victims could not be established, which further weakened the case and led to the acquittal of all 18 accused individuals. A detailed judgment is awaited.
Background of the Incident
On the intervening night of January 15 and 16, 2014, Somnath Bharti, who was then serving as Delhi's Law Minister and the MLA from Malviya Nagar, allegedly led a group that harassed and assaulted African women residing in the area. The group accused the women of involvement in illegal activities. According to the prosecution, multiple women sustained injuries during the incident.
Legal Proceedings
The FIR was registered on the court's direction after a Ugandan woman, one of the alleged victims, filed a complaint on January 18, 2014, seeking action against unidentified persons. In 2018, the court framed charges against Bharti and the others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting, molestation, voyeurism, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly, outraging a woman's modesty, promoting enmity between groups, assault, house trespass, criminal trespass, and obstructing a public servant. The charges were based on a prima facie case against the accused.
Prosecution's Evidence
The Delhi Police submitted a chargesheet citing 41 prosecution witnesses, including nine African women, to support the case. However, the court found the evidence insufficient to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
