Delhi court refuses lodging of separate FIR in midnight raid

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court today refused to order lodging of a separate FIR on a plea by an African woman seeking registration of a case against unknown persons for allegedly molesting her during the recent midnight raid by a group purportedly led by city Law Minister Somnath Bharti.

Metropolitan Magistrate Chetna Singh, however, said that the Ugandan woman be made co-complainant in the first FIR lodged by police on Janaury 19 as she is also the victim of the same incident.

"... It is clear that the allegation of the victim will be investigated. Separate FIR will create confusion during the investigation.

"And the same be clubbed when the police report in case FIR no. 76/2014 as an when is filed," the court said, adding "I disallow the registration of separate FIR" in same incident on separate application.

On January 19, police had lodged an FIR against unknown persons under various sections of the IPC, including 153-A (promoting enmity between classes), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (outraging women modesty), 509 (uttering any word or making any gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 147 (rioting) at the Malviya Nagar police station.

The FIR was lodged on court's direction after an Ugandan woman had approached it on January 18 seeking to file a criminal case against unknown persons.

Later, the second African woman had moved the court seeking registration of a separate FIR alleging she was also molested by the group.

The second woman had claimed that the group had forcibly held her hands and took her out of the house along with her sisters who reside with her.