Patiala House Court on Saturday declined to grant police custody of Shankar Mishra and remanded him to Judicial custody for 14 days. Mishra was arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly urinating on a fellow women passenger on board an Air India flight from New York to Delhi in November last Year.
Metropolitan Magistrate said:
“the fact that there is public pressure should not sway the investigation in the case and Mishra’s police custody would not be required”.
The Court directed:
“In the considered opinion of this court, physical presence if the accused is not required to interrogate other witnesses. Even Section 164 CrPC statement can be recorded without taking him into police custody. For the reasons above, Police Custody application is denied. He is remanded to 14-day judicial custody”.
After the incident, Mishra who worked at the India chapter of American company Wells Fargo, was also let go from his job.
Mishra’s lawyers recently released a statement that he had paid an agreed compensation amount to the aggrieved woman on November 28, but almost a month later, the money was returned to him by the woman’s daughter.
In the Court, Public Prosecutor submitted that Mishra did not cooperate with the probe.
The Judge pointed:
“You are saying crew members are to be examined and etc. Why do you need him for this? Why can’t he be sent to judicial custody”.
On the other hand, Mishra’s lawyer Advocate Manu Sharma mentioned that only one of the offenses invoked against Mishra is non-bailable.
The victim’s lawyer said that the crew members of the flight on which the incident happened are also responsible.
The Court heard both parties and declined the plea by Delhi Police for police custody and sent Mishra to 14-day police custody. The court issued notice to Delhi police on a bail plea filed separately by Mishra.
The bail plea will be heard now on January 11.