The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought a status report from the Delhi Police on a plea by a man who alleged that he was assaulted and slapped by Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma during a road inspection in west Delhi.
According to an ANI report, a bench of Justice Sachin Datta also took note of objections raised by the respondent authorities challenging the maintainability of the plea.
The petitioner, Sahib Singh, has sought police protection for himself and his family, preservation of CCTV footage and other electronic evidence, and an independent probe into his allegations against Verma and others.
According to the petition, Singh was accompanying Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh during an inspection of road construction work along the Outer Ring Road on September 27 and was recording the proceedings on his mobile phone. He alleged that Verma slapped him after questions were raised about the quality of the road work.
Singh further alleged that his mobile phone, which contained video footage of the incident, was forcibly taken and damaged, and that he was subsequently assaulted and threatened by people accompanying the minister.
The petitioner initially approached the Vikas Puri police station with a complaint, which was recorded vide DD No. 70A dated September 27. He alleged that despite seeking registration of an FIR, the police subsequently recorded an NCR under Section 115(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Singh also alleged that he later received threatening calls and WhatsApp and social media messages, including threats against him and his family. He has sought a probe into the source of these communications.
The plea seeks preservation of CCTV footage, DD entries, PCR records, video recordings and other electronic evidence relating to the incident and subsequent events. It specifically seeks preservation of footage from September 25 to 30 from the relevant locations.
Singh has also sought that the investigation be handed over to an independent team or agency not connected with the police personnel against whom he has made allegations. Alternatively, he has sought a judicially supervised inquiry committee headed by a former Delhi High Court judge.
The petition makes clear that it does not seek any finding by the High Court on the ultimate culpability of Verma or the other respondents, but seeks protection for the petitioner, preservation of evidence and a fair and impartial investigation.
(With inputs from ANI)