Following new allegations by Shankar Mishra, who was accused of urinating on a woman on an Air India plane, that he did not commit the offense and that the complainant may have peed on her own seat herself, the complainant issued a statement , in which she stated that the defendant had launched a campaign of spreading misinformation and untruths with the intention of further harassing the victim.
“Rather than showing remorse for the extremely disgusting act he committed, the defendant launched a campaign of spreading misinformation and untruths with the intention of further harassing the victim.”
“Needless to say, the allegations are completely false and fabricated, and pejorative and derogatory in nature. The allegations mentioned are also in complete contradiction and are a complete reversal of the statements and pleadings of the defendant in his request for bail,” the statement said.
The statement issued went on to say that the victim has always sought to ensure that institutional changes are made so that no one has to go through the horrific experiences that the victim endured.
The applicant explained through her lawyer, Ankur Mehindro, that we had been informed that certain bizarre and defamatory allegations had been made on behalf of the defendant during a court hearing.
On Friday, during the hearing, the defendant, through lead counsel Ramesh Gupta, submitted: “The complainant woman’s seat was blocked. It was not possible for him (Mishra) to go there. The woman has a problem with incontinence. She urinated on herself . She is a Kathak dancer, 80 percent of Kathak dancers have this problem.”
Senior lawyer Ramesh Gupta asked questions about the Delhi police investigation and said there had to be someone else.
“She urinated herself. The seating system was such that no one could go to their seat. The passenger who sat behind the complainant made no such complaint,” he added.
After Delhi Police noted the submissions made to the hearing court to investigate whether or not the accused was intoxicated before boarding the flight, the additional hearing judge said: “The appeal does not appear to have been brought before the District Court. It is not appropriate to decide on an order on the basis of submissions that have not been submitted, since the reasoning seems to be broad and the magistrate cannot be expected to get involved in all possible situations.
The Session Court later granted Delhi Police liberty to apply again to the Magistrates Court to request police pre-trial detention on new grounds if necessary.
On January 7, the Patiala House Court in Delhi sentenced Mishra to 14 days in pre-trial detention.
On 11 January 2023, the District Court of Delhi’s Patiala House Court dismissed defendant Shankar Mishra’s bail charge, saying the defendant’s alleged act of relieving himself to the applicant was extremely disgusting and repulsive.
“The alleged act in itself is enough to outrage any woman’s modesty. The outrageous behavior of the defendants has shaken civic consciousness and must be condemned,” Metropolitan Magistrate Komal Garg said.
According to the allegations, the defendant was intoxicated voluntarily and had consumed alcohol during the flight, and this fact was not disputed by the applicant. The alleged act itself prima facie reflects the defendant’s intent, the court added.
It has also emerged that the defendant attempted to contact the victim and it cannot be ruled out that the defendant was influencing the witnesses. In addition, according to the Inquiry Officer’s (IO) report, the other witnesses have yet to be interrogated and the investigation is at a very early stage, the court said.
Shankar Mishra was arrested by Delhi Police in Bengaluru on January 6, 2023.
Mishra allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman in a drunken state on November 26 last year in business class on an Air India flight.
Delhi Police had registered the First Information Report (FIR) against him on January 4 over a complaint by the woman to Air India under Sections 354, 509 and 510 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Code. Both the accused and the victim are from outside Delhi.
The US financial services company Wells Fargo also fired its employee Shankar Mishra last week.
In the bail statement, Shankar Mishra stated that he would continue to cooperate with the police and cooperate with the investigation in any way and form necessary. The scene of the crime, ie the plane, is already contaminated.
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