A Delhi court has summoned Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Sadar Bazar MLA, Som Dutt, in a case pertaining to suppression of information in his affidavit filed before the Election Commission (EC) during the Assembly polls in 2015.
Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra gave the directions after a complaint was filed by BJP leader Praveen Jain, who has alleged that Dutt did not declare that his parents were dependent on him and also did not declare his assets in the affidavit.
Complainant Jain, who unsucessfully contested against Dutt from Sadar Bazar, has alleged that the accused gave false information in the affidavit by stating that his parents were not dependent on him, but was availing benefits of the Delhi Employees Health Welfare Scheme by declaring that his parents were dependent on him.
"Prima facie, it is clear from the records that parents of the applicant were dependent on him but he suppressed the said information furnished to the returning officer (RO) and also failed to declare their movable and immovable assests. Accordingly, the accused be summoned," the Magistrate said.
The summons were issued on the offfences of furnishing false information, giving false statement on oath, and filing false affidavit under the Representation of the People Act.
Dutt is not the first MLA to be involved in legal tangles. Earlier, former Law Minister Jitendra Tomar was accused in a fake degree case. Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan was charged with intimidating a woman with rape and murder threats, and Somnath Bharti was involved in a domestic violence case.
