NEW DELHI: In a case related to the social distancing violation during the Covid time, a city court has acquitted Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand and an MCD councillor, noting there were innumerable lapses in the investigation conducted by the Delhi Police.
As per the police, Kumar, who is the Patel Nagar MLA, and councillor Ankush Narang were participating in a protest near the residence of Delhi BJP chief Aadesh Gupta in West Patel Nagar without prior permission and without maintaining adequate Covid protocol, on February 26 last year.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidhi Gupta Anand, in the order, said, “There are innumerable lapses in the investigation conducted by the investigating officer — not conducting inquiries from public witnesses, no preparation of site plan, not recording statements of the SHO or the ACP and other eyewitnesses, to mention a few.”
The court also said the mere statement of the IO that he has changed his mobile phone and therefore, does not remember receiving the video of the incident “appears to be nothing more than a flimsy excuse”.
“...it is a separate question as to why the IO did not produce the most clinching piece of evidence in the court despite having received it,” the court noted.