A Delhi court has set aside an order awarding 7-day jail term to former Aam Aadmi Party MLA Manoj Kumar for allegedly assaulting a woman in 2014.
Special Judge Geetanjli Goel on December 22 set aside an order of a magisterial court while deciding an appeal filed by the lawmaker against the judgement.
"The present appeal is allowed and the judgement dated August 13, 2019 by which the appellant Manoj Kumar was convicted for the offence under Section 352 IPC and the order on sentence dated August 17, 2019 are set aside.
"The appellant is acquitted for the offence under Section 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation) IPC," the judge said.
According to the prosecution, the woman had gone to the lawmaker, seeking redressal of water logging related problems. The convict, however, asked her not to disturb him and pushed the woman inappropriately.
The magisterial court had awarded punishment to Kumar, saying the lawmaker was "a public servant and therefore it was his duty to behave fairly and courteously to those who approach him with their problems".
At request of Kumar that he wished to file an appeal against his conviction, the court had granted him bail.
While convicting Kumar for assault, the magisterial court had, however, acquitted him of the charge of assaulting woman with intent to outrage her modesty.
