Cong MP Akoijam gets relief as Delhi court bars coercive action without 7-day notice

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday restrained the Delhi Police from taking coercive steps against Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam in a case involving sexual harassment allegations by 11 female students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), directing the police to give him a seven-day advance notice in writing if his arrest becomes necessary.

The Rouse Avenue Court passed the order while disposing of Akoijam’s anticipatory bail plea after the Delhi Police informed it that the Congress MP was cooperating with the investigation and assured that he would be given seven days’ notice before any arrest.

The court directed the investigating agency to personally serve any such notice on Akoijam in writing at least seven days before taking him into custody. It also directed Akoijam to cooperate with the investigation and furnish the contact numbers of two family members to the investigating officer to ensure the timely delivery of notices.

The court further said that the police would be at liberty to approach it if Akoijam failed to cooperate with the investigation. It directed the Delhi Police to complete the investigation and file the chargesheet in the case. The development comes days after the Delhi High Court granted interim relief to Akoijam by staying the operation of JNU’s order dismissing him from service following an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations levelled by 11 female students.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Anup J Bhambhani had passed the interim order on November 2 while hearing Akoijam’s writ petition challenging his dismissal from the varsity. The High Court had also issued notice to JNU and listed the matter for further hearing in January.

According to the university’s order issued on October 9, JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit had ordered Akoijam’s dismissal from service with immediate effect following an inquiry conducted by the university’s Internal Complaints Committee. The complaints against Akoijam were submitted by 11 female students in May this year.

The university had stated that disciplinary action was taken on the basis of the committee’s findings and after following due process under the applicable service rules.

Akoijam, the Congress MP from the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, had appeared before the Delhi Police at the Vasant Kunj North police station on October 15 in response to a summons to join the investigation.

Describing the developments as a “political matter”, he had said that he appeared to cooperate with the investigation and did not want his absence to be construed as a lack of cooperation with the police. The Congress MP had subsequently approached the Rouse Avenue Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the case registered by the Delhi Police.