The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, granted continued relief from arrested to Lokesh Sharma, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
The hearing in the case related to the phone tapping allegations will reconvene on October 18. This comes after Lokesh Sharma cited prior commitments to the Delhi Crime Branch, where he was called for the second consecutive day.
Notably, Sharma underwent a rigorous four-hour interrogation on Tuesday, following which he was summoned again for questioning today by the Crime Branch. Sources indicate that the notice for today's questioning was duly dispatched, but due to prior engagements, Sharma could not attend the inquiry.
Simultaneously, in the Delhi High Court, a brief hearing took place regarding the phone tapping case, lasting approximately 40 minutes. Senior advocate Siddharth Agarwal, representing Lokesh Sharma, argued against the Delhi Police's allegations, deeming them unfounded.
Agarwal questioned how Sharma could be held responsible for phone recordings, highlighting the Rajasthan government's earlier acknowledgment of call intercepts. He also pointed out an eight-month delay in filing the case without a specified reason.
The Delhi Police's claim of a conference call involving three numbers was also challenged, as Agarwal pointed out that none of these numbers belonged to the complainant, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
With the incident occurring in Rajasthan, questions arise about how the Delhi Police can file an FIR, given that none of the three numbers involved are from Delhi.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain accused Lokesh Sharma and Rajasthan government officials of not cooperating with the investigation. Rajasthan government's lawyer Siddharth Luthra expressed dissatisfaction with the unsubstantiated allegations.
The court session ended leaving the discussion unfinished, and the next hearing is scheduled for October 18 at 3 PM. Until then, Lokesh Sharma retains protection from arrest granted by the Delhi High Court, extending the halt on his arrest in connection to the case until October 18.
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