A lawyer claiming to represent sacked Delhi minister Sandeep Kumar on Friday moved an application in court claiming a threat to the latter's life in Tihar Jail but Kumar's wife denied it and dubbed it a "political conspiracy".
Lawyer A.P. Singh -- who said he was Kumar's lawyer -- moved an application before Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry to seek directions for installing closed-circuit television in the jail and videotaping the court appearance of Kumar, alleging there was a threat to his life.
The court issued a notice to the Tihar Jail Superintendent and sought his reply by September 20.
However, Kumar's wife Ritu and his lawyer Pradeep Rana denied the claim at a press conference here.
Ritu said she met her husband in jail on Friday morning and the claim that he was assaulted was wrong. She said neither she nor Kumar had appointed Singh as his lawyer.
Kumar's counsel Rana said the application by lawyer Singh was filed without a 'vakalatnama' (form of authorisation to a lawyer to represent a client).
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He said Kumar had confirmed to his wife that he had not signed any other 'vakalatnama'.
Kumar has been remanded in judicial custody till September 23.
The former Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Minister in the Delhi government was arrested on September 3 after a woman approached the Sultanpuri police in north Delhi with a complaint of sexual harassment.
He was booked under Sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, with intent to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code.
Kumar was also charged under the Information Technology Act's Section 67-A (punishment for publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form).
--IANS
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