A Delhi court on Thursday framed charges against ruling Aam Admi Party MLA Prakash Jarwal, his aide Kapil Nagar, and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in connection with the suicide of a doctor last year.
The offences under Sections 120 B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), read with Sections 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 384 A(punishment for extortion) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), and offences under Section 384 (punishment for extortion), read with Section 120B, Section 386 read with Section 120 B and Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) read with Section 120 B and also under 306/34 (common intention) are prima facie made out against accused Jarwal and Nagar, Additional Sessions Judge Geetanjali Goel said in the order.
The court discharged co-accused Harish Jarwal for the offence under Sections 306 and 386 but he is liable to be charged, prima facie, for the offence under Section 506, the court said.
There is enough material on record to prima facie show that the accused Prakash Jarwal and Nagar extorted from deceased Dr Rajinder Singh by threatening to kill him and his family, if he did not pay the money for plying his tankers with Delhi Jal Board, it said.
The Additional Public Prosecutor, appearing for the state, had argued that the FIR was registered on the basis of the statement of the son of the deceased. It was submitted that the names of all the three accused persons were there in the suicide note and the FSL report was also there with regard to the handwriting of the deceased.
It was submitted that Prakash Jarwal had made a call on the mobile of the deceased and in fact, the SIM was used in the mobile of Revadhar Bhatt who was an employee of the deceased. It was submitted that the material on record showed that the accused persons had extended threats to the deceased and extorted money from him and also abetted the commission of suicide by him.
Advocates Ravi Drall and Mohd Irshad, appearing for Harish Jarwal, had argued that merely because his name was there in the suicide note, it did not necessarily mean that he had committed any offence.
Delhi Police booked the MLA, Nagar and others on April last year on charges of issuing death threats and abetment to suicide after the private practitioner was found dead in his house and both their names were found mentioned in his alleged suicide note.
He was also involved in supply of Delhi Jal Board water through tankers since 2007.
Source IANS