Court rejects bail plea by Ashish Pandey

A Delhi court on Friday rejected a bail plea by a son of former BSP MP, who brandished a pistol and allegedly threatened a man and his woman companion in a five-star hotel here.

Ashish Pandey, whose video has gone viral, was produced before metropolitan magistrate Sumeet Anand here at Patiala House courts after one-day police remand.

The court sent him to judicial custody till October 22, after noting “arrogance and high-headedness in him out of possession of firearm” and “death threat” to the victim, Gaurav Kanwar, son of a former Delhi Congress MLA.

The Delhi Police which arrested Pandey, son of former BSP MP Rakesh Pandey, on Thursday, sought his further police remand but the court rejected it.

The police claimed that they wanted to establish link of the accused with other women accomplices and their financial transactions, the chain of events after the incident and the recovery of arm licence, which required further two days custodial interrogation.

However, the magistrate said, “for verification of arms licence, custody of the accused is not required. As far as establishing link between the accused and lady accomplices and their financial transactions to be ascertained is concerned, it is not the subject matter of this case.”

Senior advocate Hari Haran and advocate S P N Tripathi, the counsel for the accused, submitted that he has never absconded and has in fact surrendered on being aware of the lodging of the case.

Agreeing to their plea, the court said as the weapon, its licence and the car of the accused stood recovered, it does not find any reason to send him to further police custody.

On this, the counsel sought bail for the accused contending he was a businessman with clean antecedents and belonged to a respectable family and assured to participate and cooperate in investigation. He also contended that the offence of criminal intimidation was not attracted as no FIR was filed by the victim.

The court, however, said Pandey exposed the weapon at a public place and a group of persons have been given death threat. “From the contents of the FIR, the arrogance and high-headedness germinating out of possession of a firearm can be seen. The investigation is at the initial stage. The victim with whom the accused had an altercation have been threatened with death threat. This court is not inclined to admit him to bail.”