National Desk, 20th October: In a significant development, the Supreme Court October 20 granted anticipatory bail to Indian Youth Congress president BV Srinivas in a case related to alleged harassment.
The bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, Aravind Kumar, and PK Mishra, made its earlier order from May 17 absolute, noting Srinivas’s cooperation with the investigation.
The case had its origins in May when the court had directed Srinivas to cooperate with the police and the National Commission for Women’s inquiry, offering him interim protection against arrest. The complainant, a former chief of the Youth Congress in Assam, was subsequently expelled from the Congress after leveling allegations of harassment against Srinivas.
Notably, the Gauhati High Court had previously rejected Srinivas’s anticipatory bail plea. The Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Assam government on May 17, setting a response deadline for July 10.
The complainant, former president of Assam Youth Congress, Angkita Dutta, claimed that she had been systematically marginalized and excluded from important decision-making processes despite holding the position of president. She alleged gender discrimination, asserting that Srinivas’s actions were influenced by her gender.
Dutta had reported these issues to the IYC general secretary, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi. However, she contended that no action or inquiry was initiated against Srinivas or Vardhan Yadhav (Assam IYC Secretary) in response to her complaints.
Furthermore, she alleged that Srinivas and Yadhav initiated a social media campaign against her, making false claims that she was joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to avoid investigations by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Saradha Chit Fund case. The Supreme Court’s decision to grant anticipatory bail marks a significant turn in this ongoing case.