NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed an appeal by the Delhi police to interrogate Rahul Mahajan, son of the slain Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Pramod Mahajan, and remanded him to two days' police custody in the case of alleged possession and consumption of narcotic drugs at the 7 Safdarjung Road residence of his father in the early hours of June 2.

Though the police had requested for five days' custody, Metropolitan Magistrate A.K. Chaturvedi granted only two days.

Earlier, the police brought Mr. Mahajan to the courtroom in a wheelchair amid tight security.

Seeking remand of the accused, counsel for the police submitted that Mr. Mahajan had purchased, distributed and consumed narcotic drugs, which resulted in his sickness and the death of Pramod Mahajan's personal secretary, Bibek Moitra.

He submitted that Mr. Mahajan had earlier also purchased narcotic drugs from Sahil Zaroo, one of the accused in the case.

However, the police admitted before the court that they were at present not sure of the exact quantity of the narcotic drugs possessed by the accused.

Therefore, they were not specifying which clauses of Section 21 — (a) or (b) or (c) — of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was attracted against Mr. Mahajan, counsel informed the court.

However, counsel told the court that since Sahil had received a payment of Rs. 15,000 for supply of the drugs, and if it was calculated at the rate of Rs. 3,000 per gram, the quantity allegedly in Mr. Mahajan's possession worked out to about five grams.

The police also fought shy of categorically informing the court the nature of the drugs Mr. Mahajan allegedly possessed and consumed.

Counsel for the accused, Sunil Mittal, submitted that the offence allegedly committed by Mr. Mahajan attracted clause (a) of Section 21 of the Act, which is bailable.

He submitted that Mr. Mahajan had been framed in the case on the basis of doctors' reports and statements recorded by the police. He said the investigating agency did not have any material evidence against his client.

He accused them of torturing Mr. Mahajan by interrogating him in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and getting him discharged from hospital against the advice of the doctors treating him at Apollo the Hospital here.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail