Police pulled up over ‘haste’ to arrest MLA

A Delhi police official had to face the ire of a Delhi court for rushing to Gujarat by flight to arrest AAP MLA Gulab Singh Yadav in connection with an extortion case lodged against his driver and two associates. The court, while dismissing the plea of the Delhi police seeking a five-day police remand, noted that the way the police has acted, speaks volumes.

Mr Yadav, who had been arrested by the Delhi police from Gujarat after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him, was produced before the metropolitan magistrate, Kishor Kumar.

The police moved a plea seeking five days police remand for Yadav. Advocate Jitender Singh Solanki and Inder Singh Shokeen, who were appearing as defence counsel for Mr Yadav, opposed the police move saying that their client had informed the police in advance that he was campaigning for his party and would join the investigation on October 18. The court, after hearing the argument of both the sides, dismissed the police move and instead of five-days, remanded Yadav to judicial custody till November 1.

“The investigation official knew that Yadav was campaigning for his party in Gujarat. The Delhi police could have waited till his (Yadav’s) return, but for reasons best known to them, they had rushed to Gujarat by flight,” Mr Kumar noted.

The court also noted that the investigating official did not disclose the fact that the counsel for the accused had intimated the SHO of Bindapur in writing that he was in Gujarat.