Congress MLA gets 3-year jail for rioting, obstruction
Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Rana held the MLA from Seelampur and ex-councillor Jameer Ahmed guilty of charges of roiting, assaulting and causing hurt to deter public servants from discharge of their duty, saying they are "insouciant" members of the legislative assembly and municipal corporation.
Ruling Congress MLA Mateen Ahmed and his associate were on Tuesday sentenced to three years in jail by a Delhi court for rioting and obstructing government officials in their duty when they were closing down polluting industries in 2001 on Supreme Court orders.
Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Rana held the MLA from Seelampur and ex-councillor Jameer Ahmed guilty of charges of roiting, assaulting and causing hurt to deter public servants from discharge of their duty, saying they are "insouciant" members of the legislative assembly and municipal corporation.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on each of the two 55-year-old convicts whose sentences were suspended for a month to enable them to file an appeal against the judgement. They were granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 each with one surety till then.
The court held that the convicts had obstructed two government officials in doing their duty and had also assaulted them in public gaze when they were in the process of implementing the orders of the Supreme Court to shut down the polluting industries.
"The convicts in the instant case are reported to be members of legislative assembly and municipal corporation of Delhi. It is their primary task to legislate for the benefit of society. A person who frames law within the precincts of the temple of democracy is not expected to impudently defy the same on the roads in full public gaze.
"A leader is expected to lead by conduct. This court is at loss to comprehend what message the convicts were trying to convey to the society," the magistrate said.
"It is a very dangerous trend for our democracy that some persons openly and impudently dare to defy the judgments of the apex court and consider themselves to be law unto themselves," he said.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on January 7, 2001, when Punjabi Bagh circle SDM E Raja Babu along with his team had gone to Jafrabad area in North East Delhi to seal the factory of Ashraf.
During the sealing process, the officials were obstructed by Mateen Ahmed and the other five accused also assaulted the team, it said.