HC: CS can’t be harassed for pursuing complaint

The Delhi high court on Wednesday said that chief secretary Anshu Prakash cannot be harassed through notices by Assembly committees for pursuing his complaint for allegedly being assaulted by AAP MLAs during a meeting.

Justice Mukta Gupta said it is a very “unfortunate situation where the state and the officers feel unsafe and are being threatened by each other”.

The court’s observations came while hearing the bail plea of AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal, who was arrested on February 20 for allegedly assaulting the chief secretary during a meeting at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on the night of February 19.

The court, which reserved its order on Jarwal’s bail plea, also issued a notice and sought a status report from the Delhi police by March 12 on the bail plea of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, who is also in custody in the case.

“You cannot harass a complainant like this. By hook or crook, the chief secretary is being harassed. Is it not a ground to reject the bail plea?” the judge said she was informed by the bureaucrat’s counsel that he has been served with a notice by the Privileges Committee of the Delhi Assembly asking him to appear before it with regard to a complaint made against him.

The court had earlier in the day questioned the law and order situation in the city while hearing the bail plea of one of the MLAs.