Harassment case: SC grants 4 weeks to Assam govt to file affidavit on IYC president Srinivas BV’s plea

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and JB Pardiwala adjourned the hearing for six weeks after the counsel of the Assam government sought time to file an affidavit

The Supreme Court on Monday granted four weeks to the State of Assam to file its affidavit on a plea of Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV, challenging Gauhati High Court order rejecting his anticipatory bail plea in alleged harassment case filed against him.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and JB Pardiwala adjourned the hearing for six weeks after the counsel of the Assam government sought time to file an affidavit.

Earlier, the apex court had granted anticipatory bail to Srinivas in an FIR registered against him by expelled woman party member for allegedly causing her mental agony.

Srinivas challenged the Gauhati High Court order rejecting his anticipatory bail plea.

On May 5, the Gauhati High Court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Srinivas in a case lodged by a former colleague and the ex-president of Assam Youth Congress accusing him of causing mental agony to her.

High Court had also refused to quash the FIR.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that Srinivas persistently harassed her mentally by way of sexist remarks and slang words.

On her complaint, an FIR was registered to book Srinivas under Sections 352 (assault or criminal force), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354A (1)(iv) (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code.

The woman had claimed that Srinivas had heckled her, held her arm, pushed and pulled her and used slang words during the party’s recent plenary session in Raipur. He had also threatened to ruin her career in the party if she complained against him, she alleged.

The alleged offence had occurred in Raipur in Chhattisgarh which was beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the Dispur police station, where the case was filed and Assam police had no jurisdiction to investigate or register an FIR for an offence which allegedly took place in Chhattisgarh, Srinivas said.

The Congress had issued a show cause notice to the woman and later expelled her from the primary membership of the party for six years for anti-party activities. (ANI)

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