This Ex Minister summoned by Court for Allegedly Slapping IAS 22 Years ago

22, years after a former minister in the Rajasthan govt allegedly slapped an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, the Crime Investigation Department (CID)-Crime Branch (CB) has presented it’s chargesheet in a Jaipur court.

The additional chief judicial metropolitan magistrate court 11 has summoned former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader & ex-minister Devi Singh Bhati on Oct 21.

Bhati has denied the charges. “This is such an old matter. It is a criminal conspiracy against me.”

He said he hadn't received any subpoena from the court. “I came to know about the court summons from the media. I will take legal advice in this matter. The charges aren't true & wrong sections have been imposed,” the 74-year-old Bhati said.

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in question, PK Deb isn't interested in proceeding with the case. Deb, who is retired, was quoted in a local vernacular daily as saying that the case is very old & he had forgotten about it. He said he holds no grudge against Bhati who is now very old.

The case dates back to 1997. Bhati was then the irrigation minister in the govt of CM Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. He was unhappy with irrigation secretary PK Deb blacklisting a construction company. Bhati is said to have called Deb to his chamber in the secretariat where the bureaucrat stuck to his stand, citing rules.

Bhati got angry & allegedly slapped Deb. Though it didn't become a big issue at the time, Bhati had to resign after the opposition Congress put pressure on the govt.

Later a case was filed in the Ashok Nagar police station on Dec 6, 1997 & the investigation was handed over to the Crime Investigation Department (CID)-Crime Branch (CB). The case was put in cold storage with several officers investigating the case but no headway being made.

Eventually, the state human rights commission took cognizance of the case & sent 2 special reports to the govt dated Jan 18, 2018 & Aug 19, 2019, asking that the case be winded up.

ADG Crime Investigation Department (CID)-Crime Branch (CB), BL Soni said, “Investigation in the case was done some years back but the file kept moving between officers. After the new govt took over, it was decided to submit the chargesheet & it was presented in the court on Oct 11.”

Police have pressed charges under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) & 334 (voluntarily causing hurt on provocation) of the Indian Penal Code. The maximum punishment under these sections is imprisonment up to 10 years.

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