The police custody of Mahesh Kumawat, the sixth accused in the case of the Parliament Security Breach was extended till 5th January by the Patiala House Court in Delhi on 23rd December. As part of their ongoing investigation, Delhi Police requested that he be given an additional 13 days of custody. Their plea was granted by Special Judge Dr Hardeep Kaur.
#WATCH | Delhi Police gets further 13-days custody of accused Mahesh Kumawat in Parliament security breach case pic.twitter.com/EG0KuetUra
— ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2023
Akhand Pratap Singh, the special public prosecutor for the Delhi Police, stated that the accused was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation and that based on the results of the psychology analysis report, he should be questioned to obtain more information.
He along with others “wanted to create anarchy in the country so that they can compel the government to meet their unjust and illegal demands,” the prosecutor had previously told the court. According to him, the custody was necessary “to find the actual motive behind the attack and his association with enemy country and terrorist organisations.”
Mahesh Kumawat attended all of the meetings that were held in various locations regarding this matter, according to Delhi Police who briefed the Patiala House Court during the case’s hearing on 23rd December. The conspiracy behind the security breach had been in the works for over a year. The public prosecutor also shared with the court that he was a participant in the conspiracy and had been in communication with the other accused for the previous two years.
According to Delhi Police, he was present at almost every meeting that took place between the perpetrators. They also told the court that he actively participated in the destruction of a cell phone and gave information to the brains behind the operation, Lalit Jha.
The development occurred one day after the trial court’s order to the police to provide a copy of the First Information Report to the parents of one of the other defendants, Neelam Singh was delayed by the Delhi High Court. Delhi Police has filed a case in the High Court contesting the decision to give her a copy of the report. After reviewing the submissions, the high court bench led by Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma issued an order staying the trial court’s orders until 4th January of next year.
A motion urging Delhi Police to enable her lawyer to meet for legal guidance during her custody confinement duration was also granted by the Patiala House Court. According to Ramniwas, Neelam Singh’s brother, a judge has given her permission to see her counsel but not her family.
The court of Dr Hardeep Kaur declared that after weighing all the facts, it is of the opinion that the applicant has a right to legal representation which she can use even while she is being held by the police. It directed that a 15-minute interaction between Neelam Singh and her lawyer, as mentioned in the vakalatnama, be arranged on an alternate day, within the Investigation Officer’s (IO) visible range but outside his audible range to facilitate an effective and meaningful exchange between the parties. The bench clarified that if a meeting cannot be arranged on that day, it could be rescheduled for the following available date.
Meanwhile, on 22nd December, a Delhi court prolonged the police custody of Lalit Jha who is the mastermind of the parliament security breach for an additional two weeks till 5th January. His seven days of initial police custody ended on the same day that he was produced before Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Hardeep Kaur. He was imprisoned for 14 days by the Delhi Police Special Cell which is investigating the case. The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) stipulates a maximum of thirty days of incarceration.
On 21st December, four more convicted individuals, Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde, and Neelam Singh had their custody increased by the court till 5th January. The special cell recovered charred cell phones, SIM cards and other material evidence, according to special public prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh. The police withheld this information due to the case’s delicate nature.
Psychoanalysis examinations were administered to all of the defendants in the case by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. The examinations were reportedly carried out at a government facility in Rohini. The police also disclosed that Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat’s psycho-analysis test was performed at the same location. Officials unveiled that the destroyed SIM cards are currently being reactivated by the Special Cell, which they anticipate could reveal new information in the case.
