Guwahati, 5 May: Gauhati High Court rejected Srinivas Bhadravathi Venkata, the national head of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) for anticipatory bail in the case regarding the allegations of harassment made by Angkita Dutta. After making the charges, Angkita Dutta the former youth president of the Assam Youth Congress was expelled from the organisation on April 22 for anti-party behaviour.
Justice Ajit Borthakur said in his order while hearing the pre-arrest bail petition of Srinivas BV, “…….consideration of the various pleas taken by the petitioner and the documents he filed, this Court is of the opinion that it is not a fit case to grant the privilege of pre-arrest bail to the petitioner. Accordingly, the pre-arrest bail application of the petitioner stands rejected.”
According to a copy of the order, the petition was filed in accordance with Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to grant the petitioner, Srinivas BV, the right to pre-arrest bail. The petition was filed in connection with the case at Dispur Police Station numbered 692/2023 which was brought under Sections 509/294/341/352/354A (iv)/506 of the IPC and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act of 2000. Former president of the Assam Youth Congress Angkita Dutta had filed a complaint against Srinivas BV at the Dispur Police Station,.
The copy of the order said, “The First Information Report (FIR) reveals the allegations that the informant/victim, is the former President of the Assam Youth Congress and the present petitioner is the President of the Indian Youth Congress. It has been alleged that the petitioner has been persistently harassing the informant/victim woman mentally by way of sexist and slang words and also threatening her with dire consequences if she complained the same before the high office bearers of the Youth Congress. It is further alleged that when the alleged victim went to Raipur in the state of Chhattisgarh to attend the plenary session of the Congress Party held on 25.02.2023, she was received by one Bhupen Bora, the President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) at Mayfair Hotel and met other high office bearers of the Congress party. At the entrance of the hotel when she came across the petitioner, he heckled her by holding her arms and also threatened her by using slang words. It is also alleged that despite complaining about the persistent unwarranted conduct of the petitioner on several occasions to the high office bearers of the Congress Party, her complaint did not yield any result and as such, she lodged the instant FIR.”
KN Choudhury, speaking on behalf of the petitioner claimed that the FIR was filed in an effort to smear his character and prevent legal action for the defamatory remarks the informant made about him on social media.
It read, “Opposing the pre-arrest bail application, M. Phukan learned Public Prosecutor, submits that the petitioner had filed two pre-arrest bail applications before the learned Sessions Court in Bengaluru, Karnataka and both the said petitions have been rejected after appreciating the materials on the case diary. Phukan further submits that the petitioner was given the notice under Section 41A Cr.P.C. calling upon him to appear before the Officer-in-Charge of Dispur P.S. on 02.05.2023 at 11 a.m. However, Phukan submits, the petitioner has not complied with the said notice to avoid his apprehension of being arrested in connection with the aforesaid non-bailable offence under Section 354 of the IPC as per Section 41A(3) Cr.P.C. Phukan submits that the victim, in her statements recorded under Sections 161 and 164 Cr.P.C., has implicated the petitioner with the alleged offences.”