AI urination case: Delhi court reserves order in Shankar Mishra's bail plea
Darpan News Desk IANS, 30 Jan, 2023 12:30 PM
New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) A Delhi court on Monday reserved its order on the bail plea of Shankar Mishra, who is accused of urinating on an elderly female co-passenger in a drunken state on a New York-Delhi Air India flight last November, until Tuesday.
After hearing arguments from parties, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) of the Patiala House Courts Harjyot Singh Bhalla reserved his verdict.
He said that what Mishra has allegedly done is disgusting but the court is bound to follow the law.
"It may be disgusting; that is another matter but let us not get into that. Let's go into how the law deals with it," ASJ Bhalla said.
The order on Mishra's bail plea is likely to be passed on Tuesday.
On January 27, the ASJ had adjourned the matter after the complainant's advocate Ankur Mahindro informed the court that he has not been handed a copy of the bail plea.
Currently in judicial custody, Mishra moved the court on January 25 seeking bail against Metropolitan Magistrate Komal Garg's January 11 order, who had earlier rejected his plea, saying that the alleged act of accused of relieving himself upon the complainant is "utterly disgusting and repulsive" and the act itself is sufficient to outrage the modesty of a woman.
On January 21, Mishra's judicial custody was extended by 14 days.
Moreover, the Public Prosecutor opposed Mishra's bail contending that the latter initially did not cooperate during the investigation and had absconded with his mobile phones switched off.
"He had switched off all his mobile phones. We traced his IMEI number," the Public Prosecutor had said, adding that the incident has insulted India on an international level.
Appearing for Mishra, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta said that earlier, his client's bail plea was also denied as the investigation was pending and now it is over.
"Initially my bail was also declined because the investigation was pending. Now that is done and they have examined other crew members and witnesses," Gupta said.
Earlier, Mishra had also claimed that the complainant had soiled her own seat and the woman had rubbished the allegation saying that it was "completely false and concocted".
On January 13, Mishra told the court that he was not the accused. "There must be someone else who peed or it must be the lady herself who urinated," he had said.
He had further claimed that the woman was suffering from some prostate-related disease.
The Delhi Police had arrested Mishra in Bengaluru on January 6 for the alleged act.
Earlier on January 19, the Prime Minister was in Mumbai to lay foundation stones for a slew of projects. During his visit to Mumbai this time, Prime Minister Modi is also expected to flag off two Vande Bharat express trains.
Majithia, the brother-in-law of SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal and brother of former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, had been lodged in the Patiala jail on February 24 last year. The Punjab government, represented by senior advocate Shyam Divan, moved the apex court challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order dated August 10, 2022.
Family members of a 15-year-old girl, who died two days after getting operated at a Delhi hospital, have alleged that her organs had been removed by hospital authorities. The family alleged that after an operation of appendicitis at a hospital, in which she died, plastic bags, used for collecting urine, were found in her stomach area.
Appearing for the Centre, advocate Anurag Ahluwalia told the court that as Singh has violated Section 11A of the Foreigners Order, 1948, which prohibits a foreigner from producing any picture, film or documentary without permission in writing from the Centre, he is a blacklisted subject.
On January 13, Mishra told the court that he was not the accused. "There must be someone else who peed or it must be her who urinated," he had said. He further claimed that the woman was suffering from some prostate-related disease.
Modi said that it was perhaps the first time where Pariksha Pe Charcha was being held in such cold weather, since it is usually held in February. The PM said that the students can learn time management by observing the working style of their mothers and advised them to utilise their time properly for studies.
