Patiala House court convicts AAP MLA for assault, but clears him of molesting charges in 2017 case

The Patiala House Court on Monday convicted AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal for allegedly molesting a 53-year-old woman in southeast Delhi’s Sangam Vihar area. However, instead of being book under sections 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman),  Jarwal has been convicted under Section 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation) and sec 506 (1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. 

Jarwal was booked for allegedly molesting the woman in July 2017. According to the complainant, Jarwal and his supporters had forcefully entered the victim’s home and inappropriately touched her. He had refuted the charges back then.

In another case, the court acquitted Jarwal in a case related for allegedly misbehaving with a woman in 2016. An FIR was registered against him under sections 354, 504 and 509 IPC in 2016.

In March this year, Jarwal was granted bail by a Delhi court in a molestation case lodged against him last year.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted the relief to Jarwal on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and a surety of like amount, while noting that the charge sheet has been filed in the case.

The bail application was moved today by Jarwal's counsel Vaibhav Trivedi, saying it was a false case lodged against the legislator and the complainant's motive was to extort money from him.

The charge sheet was filed on February 22 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

The Deoli MLA was booked for allegedly molesting a 53-year-old woman in southeast Delhi's Sangam Vihar.

It was the second such case since June 2016 against the lawmaker, who has denied the charges.

The woman has alleged that the MLA and his supporters entered her house and touched her inappropriately on July 14, 2017.

In June 2016, a woman had accused Jarwal of touching her inappropriately and pushing her when she had gone to lodge a complaint regarding water problems at the Delhi Jal Board office in southeast Delhi's Greater Kailash area.