Delhi court grants bail to AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal in molestation case

AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal was granted bail by a Delhi court in a molestation case lodged against him last year.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted the relief to Jarwal on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and a surety of like amount while noting that the charge sheet has been filed in the case.

The bail application was moved by Jarwal's counsel Vaibhav Trivedi, saying it was a false case lodged against the legislator and the complainant's motive was to extort money from him.

He also told the court that the MLA has deep roots in society and will join the investigation as and when required. The court granted him relief while also considering that the charge sheet was filed without arresting him and the investigation was complete.

The charge sheet was filed on February 22 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

The Deoli MLA was booked for allegedly molesting a 53-year-old woman in southeast Delhi's Sangam Vihar. It was the second such case since June 2016 against the lawmaker, who has denied the charges.

The woman has alleged that the MLA and his supporters entered her house and touched her inappropriately on July 14, 2017. In June 2016, a woman had accused Jarwal of touching her inappropriately and pushing her when she had gone to lodge a complaint regarding water problems at the Delhi Jal Board office in southeast Delhi's Greater Kailash area.

Since the AAP came to power in Delhi, 15 of its MLAs have been booked under different charges with the party claiming it was being subjected to "political vendetta".