The top court also directed BV Srinivas to cooperate in the investigation and appear before the police on 22 May.
Published May 17, 2023 | 1:42 PM ⚊ Updated May 17, 2023 | 1:42 PM
IYC president BV Srinivas. (Twitter)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 17 May, granted interim protection from arrest to Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president BV Srinivas.
The protection was granted regarding a case lodged by expelled chief of the Assam Youth Congress Angkita Dutta, accusing him of harassment and causing mental agony.
BV Srinivas had challenged a 5 May order of the Gauhati High Court rejecting his anticipatory bail plea.
A bench of Supreme Court Justices BR Gavai and Sanjay Karol issued notices to the Assam government and others, seeking their replies in the matter by 10 July.
“We have perused the (CrPC section) 164 statement, which has been so graciously placed before us by the prosecution. We do not wish to say anything against the state at this stage. Taking into consideration the one-month delay in lodging FIR, the petitioner is entitled to interim protection,” the bench said.
The top court also directed Srinivas to cooperate in the investigation and appear before the police on 22 May.
Dutta had made the allegations against the IYC president in a series of tweets on 18 April.
How can a sexist and chauvinistic lead @IYC torture and demean a woman every single time. What happened to @priyankagandhi ladki hoon ladk Shakti hoon https://t.co/opLpmcLLbh
— Dr Angkita Dutta (@angkitadutta) April 18, 2023
Dutta had alleged that BV Srinivas had harassed her for over six months. He had threatened her not to bring it to the notice of Congress leaders. He allegedly assaulted her on 25 February in a hotel in Chhattisgarh, and also allegedly harassed her in Guwahati earlier.
She added that he recently roped in Assam IYC secretary Vardhan Yadhav and both of them had jointly campaigned and lobbied against her to get her thrown out of the IYC.
She also alleged that she had brought this matter to the notice of the IYC general secretary and also Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
But no inquiry or action was initiated against both BV Srinivas or Vardhan Yadav despite her complaints, she said.
Dutta alleged that BV Srinivas used to undermine her because of her gender.
She said she was sidelined on several instances, or kept uninformed about important developments.
They also did not involve her in decision-making, despite her being the president of the State IYC unit, Dutta alleged.
She also said BV Srinivas engaged Vardhan Yadav and made posters of hers along with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma — a BJP leader — and initiated a campaign on social media lobbying against her.
They claimed she was all set to join the BJP to avoid being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI in the Saradha Chit Fund case, she said.
Dutta added that she even forwarded the posters to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, but no action was initiated against Srinivas or Vardhan Yadav.
She filed the complaint on 19 April at a police station in Kamrup, Assam. BV Srinivas has been booked under various Sections of IPC 294, 342, 352, 354, 354(A)(iv), 506 and 509, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
(With PTI inputs)
