A court here on Thursday rejected anticipatory bail plea of Delhi Food and Supplies Minister Imran Hussain and four others accused of threatening to kill a man and demolish his under-construction building if he failed to pay up Rs 30 lakh.
"Considering the facts that the matter is serious and offences are not compoundable and considering the evidence so far, I do not find it a fit case for grant of anticipatory bail. Applications are therefore dismissed," said Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma.
The court turned down the plea of defence counsel that the parties have reached a compromise and were likely to move Delhi High Court for quashing of the FIR.
Four others whose bail plea were rejected are Mohsin Ahmed, Furkan Hussain, Irfan Hussain and Hammad, all associates of miinister.
A complaint was registered against the minister and the others at Jafrabad Police Station here early this year.
The accused were booked under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion) and 389 (putting person in fear of accusation of offence, in order to commit extortion) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Congress on February 9 released a video clip that showed a close aide of minister demanding a bribe on his behalf a person constructing a house in old Delhi.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, has termed the video as "fabricated".
Delhi Police has alleged that the minister had sent co-accused Mohsin at the residence of the complainant for stopping the construction work and asked him to meet Imran Hussain in Jafrabad.
It alleged the minister demanded Rs 30 lakh or he would not allow the construction work to go on and get the building demolished.
When the complainant said that the amount was too high, they abused him and Mohsin brandished a pistol at him.
The court, in its order, noted that the investigating officer has shown that there were recorded conversation between the accused and complainant and also of a junior engineer claiming pressure from the minister.
Hussain is AAP's legislator from Ballimaran.
--IANS
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