Court admits political vendetta, grants bail to AAP’s Surender Singh

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Par ty (AAP) MLA Surender Singh ‘Commando’ who was arrested by the city police on Friday for assaulting an NDMC employee.

"Third AAP MLA to be arrested in the last two months. Out on bail, Singh threatens to join the OROP agitation"

Singh alleged before metropolitan magistrate Gomati Manocha that the case against him was politically motivated and was being pursued to “stifle and embarrass the ruling party (AAP)”.

“It has been averred that this case is actuated by political vendetta. Thus, no prejudice is likely to be caused to the prosecution in case the accused persons are granted bail,” the court observed, while allowing Singh out on bail and directing him to furnish a personal bond of ` 30,000 along with a surety of the amount. It also granted relief to other men accused along with the MLA — Sanjay and Praveen.

Singh is the third AAP MLA who has been arrested in the last two months. Delhi’s former law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar was held in a fake educational degree case in June and Kondli legislator Manoj Kumar was apprehended in July in a cheating case.

Turning down the cops’ plea for Singh’s judicial custody, the court observed that the accused had been booked under bailable sections of the Indian penal code. It added that there was no chance of the three absconding or fleeing from justice.

Countering the Delhi police’s submissions, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, appearing for Surender, said, “There is a cold war between AAP and the party which is in power (in Centre). He (Surender) is the member of the party that is in power in Delhi while the other party is in control of Delhi Police.”

He said the case was motivated by a political vendetta only to “stifle and embarrass the ruling party of Delhi”. On August 4, Surender Singh was booked for allegedly assaulting and manhandling an NDMC worker in Tughlaq road area when a team of municipal officials was doing a routine check and had apprehended an e-rickshaw driver to ascertain his documents.