Delhi High Court: Rajnish Bhatnagar, J. while conducting a hearing through Video Conferencing, addressed a very pertinent matter with regard to bail of petitioner alleged for assaulting two women resident doctors of Safdarjung Hospital after accusing them of spreading COVID 19.
In the present matter, FIR was registered under Sections 354, 341, 323, 506 and 509 of Penal Code, 1860 against the petitioner for the above-stated reasons. Incident that took place as stated in the FIR was that complainant was working as Junior Resident (Casualty) at Safdarjung Hospital, she along with her sister went to a fruit shop to bu fruits wherein a person standing started speaking about social distancing and remarked that doctors like them were spreading infection in residential areas.
Further complainant told the petitioner that she knew importance of social distancing but the petitioner got abusive and threatened to get a case registered against them. It is alleged that when petitioner was about to leave complainant assaulted them and touched in an inappropriate manner.
It was contended by the petitioner that he was only concerned about the social distancing being maintained between the people looking into threats of coronavirus, he added he was being falsely implicated . Further it was argued that all the sections except Section 354 IPC were bailable.
APP while opposing the bail application submitted that the allegations were grave and serious in nature and petitioner rather than being thankful to the doctors attacked and molested them.
Bench stated that as the country is passing through a very difficult phase and the doctors are rendering women service to the nation, petitioner being an educated man should have been respectful to the doctors rather than abusing and threatening them.
In Court’s opinion, no useful purpose would have been served by keeping the petitioner in J.C and overcrowding Tihar Jail, thus he is admitted to bail on furnishing a bail bond.
In view of the above, bail application stands disposed of. [Sanjeev Sharma v. State of NCT of Delhi, Bail Appl. No. 774 of 2020, decided on 15-04-2020]
