Air India 'pee gate': 'Unzipping wasn't for sexual desire', accused tells court
Darpan News Desk IANS, 11 Jan, 2023 12:07 PM
New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Shankar Mishra, who is accused of urinating on an elderly female co-passenger in a drunken state on a New York-New Delhi Air India flight in November last year, told a Delhi court on Wednesday through his lawyer that 'unzipping' his pants was not for the purpose of 'sexual desire', and hence he cannot be considered as a 'lustful' man.
"He could not control his drinks, but the unzipping was not for sexual desire. The complainant's case does not put him as a lustful man," the counsel representing Mishra, Manu Sharma, told the court.
He contended that Mishra's actions, while obscene, were not intended to sexually harass the victim.
The Metropolitan Magistrate of Patiala House courts, Komal Garg, who had reserved the verdict earlier, denied Mishra's bail plea on Wednesday, saying that the alleged act of the accused of relieving himself upon the complainant was "utterly disgusting and repulsive" and the act itself is sufficient to outrage the modesty of a woman.
As Mishra had failed to join the investigation even after a notice under Section 41A of the CrPC was served to him, his conduct "does not inspire any confidence", the court observed.
The accused's counsel argued that Mishra did not make any attempt to run away from the inquiry process by Air India, while questioning the need for the issuance of a non-bailable warrant in the case.
On January 7, the court had sent Mishra to 14-day judicial custody.
After two decades of being married, Wave Group chairman Manpreet Singh Chadha has announced a formal separation from his wife Sanamdeep Chadha. The couple, who share four children together, have issued a joint statement in this regard.
AAP chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said the government's decision will hamper criminals to access the weapons in the state, which will ultimately end gun culture.
Officials said 10 bodies were recovered from the upper floor of a building destroyed in the fire, which originated from a ground-floor vehicle repair garage, local media reported.
Dera Sacha Sauda follower and an accused in the Guru Granth Sahib 'bir' theft and sacrilege, Pradeep Singh, was shot dead by five unidentified men on two motorcycles in Punjab's Kotkapura town when he was going to open his shop.
During the meeting, the police officers briefed the Chief Minister about the incident. Dera Sacha Sauda follower, Pradeep Singh, was shot dead by five unidentified men in Punjab's Kotkapura town on Thursday.
There was panic in several areas and people stayed out of their homes for nearly two hours after the tremors were felt. The tremors lasted for nearly 10 seconds and were reported from several parts of the state.
