AAP MLA Naresh Balyan sent to 1-day judicial custody in MCOCA case

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A court here on Thursday sent Aam Aadmi Party (AAM) MLA Naresh Balyan to judicial custody for a day in connection with the stringent MCOCA case. As arguments of the Delhi Police on the plea for police remand remained inconclusive, the Rouse Avenue Court sent the MLA from Delhi’s Uttam Nagar constituency to judicial custody and ordered his production on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Additional Sessions Judge Vandana Jain turned down the Delhi Police’s application to remand Balyan to 10-day police custody for interrogation and asked the investigating officer to “move an appropriate application before an appropriate court”. The accused person is a sitting MLA and he needs to be produced in a special MP/MLA court, the judge told the public prosecutor. On Wednesday, the Delhi Police Crime Branch rearrested Balyan under MCOCA minutes after he secured bail in connection with an extortion case.

After the Rouse Avenue Court allowed his bail application in the extortion case, the Delhi Police arrested the AAP leader within the court premises and took him to its office. A day before, the Rouse Avenue Court sent the MLA from Delhi’s Uttam Nagar constituency to police custody till Wednesday and in the meantime, asked the Delhi Police to respond to his bail application in the extortion case. In the course of the hearing, Balyan’s lawyer questioned the necessity of arrest and submitted that he was ready to appear before the investigating officer, as and when needed, and would cooperate with the ongoing probe.

Initially, the AAP leader was sent to two days of police custody on Sunday in connection with the extortion case. The Delhi Police had then argued that Balayan should be sent to its custody for five days for interrogation. Balyan was arrested on November 30 following the release of audio clips allegedly featuring him in a conversation with gangster Kapil Sangwan, alias Nandu. The clips purportedly reveal plans to threaten and extort money from Delhi’s builders and others. The BJP has described Balyan as an "extortionist" and accused AAP leaders of colluding with gangsters to extort protection money from traders and builders. BJP national Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleged that Balyan's activities were conducted with AAP supremo and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's full knowledge and consent. Similarly, BJP leader Kailash Gahlot dismissed claims of conspiracy surrounding Balyan’s arrest, asserting that the matter had been "known to senior leaders for the last year".

Gahlot raised serious concerns about the lack of action from AAP's top brass, including Kejriwal, despite their awareness of the issue. "It would be completely wrong to call this a conspiracy because every senior AAP leader has known about this for the last year. The real question is why no action was taken despite senior party leaders, including the National Convenor, being aware of such activities. It is disturbing that the issue has escalated to this point," he said