'Utterly disgusting, repulsive': Court rejects bail plea of accused in Air India urinating incident

A Delhi Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea for bail moved by Shankar Mishra, who was accused of urinating upon an elderly woman in an Air India flight on November 26, saying his alleged act was "utterly disgusting and repulsive" and was "sufficient to outrage the modesty of any woman".

Metropolitan Magistrate Komal Garg said the court does not find it appropriate at this stage to release the accused on bail.

The court also noted egregious conduct of the accused has shocked the civic consciousness and needs to be deprecated.

As per the allegations, the accused was voluntarily drunk and had consumed alcohol during the flight and the said fact has not been denied by the applicant. The alleged act in itself prima facie reflects the intention of the accused, the court added.

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It also noted the accused had failed to join the investigation even after notice under section 41A CrPC being issued to him and he could be arrested only upon the execution of NBW.

"Therefore, the conduct of the accused does not inspire confidence," the court said.

The judge pointed out it has also come on record that the accused has tried contacting the victim and the possibility of accused influencing the witnesses cannot be ruled out.

Further, as per the report of investigating officers, the other witnesses are yet to be interrogated and the investigation is at a very initial stage, the judge noted.

Mishra was arrested from Bengaluru on January 6. The court had denied police custodial interrogation of the accused.

For the November 26 incident, Mishra was also sacked from the post of Vice President of American financial services company Wells Fargo, which called the allegations against him as “deeply disturbing”.

Delhi police lodged an FIR against Mishra under Sections 354 (molestation), 354 (A), 509 (insulting a woman’s modesty), 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person), 294 (using obscene words) of the IPC and section 23 of the Aircraft Act for peeing on the woman in the business class of the flight.

The prosecution opposed bail plea by Mishra, saying he was a highly influential person. The complainant supported the prosecution, alleging the father of the accused had tried to contact her.