HC asks police to file report on AAP MLA Jarwal’s bail plea in doctor’s suicide case

The Delhi High Court Friday directed the police to file a status report by evening on a plea by AAP legislator Prakash Jarwal seeking bail in connection with a case of alleged suicide of a doctor in south Delhi.

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Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, who conducted the hearing through video conferencing, reserved its order on the bail plea which was opposed by the counsel for Delhi Police.

The court, which issued notice to the police on the bail application, also directed it to file status report along with case related documents including a dairy and doctor’s suicide note by the evening.

Rajendra Singh, 52, allegedly committed suicide in Durga Vihar in south Delhi on April 18. In his suicide note, the doctor held Jarwal responsible for his death.

Like Jarwal, Singh was also involved in the business of water supply with the Delhi Jal Board since 2007, and the police alleged that the MLA and his associates were extorting money from other water-tanker owners, including the doctor.

Jarwal, who was arrested on May 9, sought bail claiming that the allegations of extortion or threat levelled by the deceased doctor’s wife are “mala fide” and the doctor or his family members never made any complaint to the police in the last 6 years.

Three-time MLA Jarwal, represented through senior advocate Rebecca John and lawyer Ravi Drall, said the alleged suicide note was fabricated and it was in two different handwritings with different pens.

The plea said the doctor’s wife has given a complaint to the Delhi Jal Board on April 9, a week before the suicide, but there was no allegations of extortion and his name was not mentioned anywhere.

It claimed that the investigation was completed in the case and he was in judicial custody since 40 days and there was no proof of extortion or instigation for suicide

A trial court had dismissed his bail plea on May 28 saying the investigation was at a crucial stage.

Jarwal, who represents the Deoli assembly constituency, was arrested on May 9, after a case of extortion and abetment to suicide was filed against him and others based on a police complaint by the doctor's son -- Hemant.

His close aide Kapil Nagar is co-accused in the case.

The FIR alleged that Singh had been threatened and intimidated by Jarwal and others.

During investigation it was found that there was a big nexus between water-tanker owners and the accused person," the police had said.

Police had said earlier that their investigation showed the money extorted from water-tanker owners was routed through the MLA's brother Anil Jarwal and invested in several properties and farm-houses in Delhi, Gurugram (Haryana) and Jaipur (Rajasthan).

It also claimed that Jarwal had got allotted many water borewells in his constituency by influencing the Jal Board and one water borewell was illegally given after taking Rs 10 lakh as "gratification money".

The police said complaints against the accused were filed to various authorities but action was never taken.

It said they have found a WhatsApp group in the name of tanker-owners whose administrator is Kapil Nagar, a co-accused and Jarwal's close aide. Jarwal was one of its members.

The chat details clearly showed the direct involvement of both the accused in running the tanker mafia in Sangam Vihar and Tigri, it said.