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STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: Former Minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmad Khan was on Thursday arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a woman doctor and released on bail soon after he appeared at a police station here.
The Congress MLA, who was forced to resign from the Omar Abdullah ministry in the wake of the charges and had been evading arrest, was quizzed by police for about an hour as he came out of his hiding claiming innocence.
Khan arrived at Shaheed Gunj police station here at around 5:00 PM, a day after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court directed him to appear before police.
A police official said the former minister was let go after he gave a personal bond of Rs 25,000 as per the orders of the High Court.
Earlier in the day, Khan claimed that the allegations against him were false and were targeted to spoil his political career.
“These allegations are false and aimed at spoiling my political image and career. I am innocent…101 per cent innocent,” the Congress legislator told reporters here.
The former minister expressed hope of getting justice from the court, and said he will cooperate with the police.
“I am here to give my statement to the investigating team on the directions of the court. I will fully cooperate with them. I am hopeful of getting justice from the court,” he said.
Khan submitted an application to the investigating officer seeking permission to leave Srinagar so that he can attend the ongoing Assembly session at Jammu.
He also gave an undertaking that he will make himself available as and when required by the investigating officer.
The High Court had set several conditions on Khan which included not to leave Srinagar city without prior permission of the investigating officer
According to the complaint of the woman doctor, Khan as Minister of State for Health had summoned her to his office chamber in Civil Secretariat on January 28 and tried to molest her. .
Asked as to why he went into a “hiding” after submitting his resignation last week, Khan, against whom an arrest warrant was issued on Monday, said he was not hiding and as a citizen had the right to approach courts.
“I was in touch with the media. I have been talking to some media persons and have also issued a statement. As a citizen I have a right to go to court to prove my innocence. And God willing, I will be proved innocent,” he said.
Khan said he resigned from the Council of Ministers on the party’s advice” and to enable a “free and fair probe” into the matter.
Khan had moved an anticipatory bail application before the High Court in the alleged sexual assault case lodged against him by a lady doctor on 6th February. Justice Janak Raj Kotwal yesterday directed Khan, who was evading arrest since 7th February, to present himself before the investigating officer of the case on Thursday.
Justice Kotwal had also directed the police to release Khan on personal bond of Rs 25,000, in case he was arrested. The final orders on the anticipatory bail application will be pronounced on Monday.
The court also asked Khan not to leave the territorial jurisdiction of Jammu and Kashmir before the next date of proceedings on Monday.
Earlier, Senior Advocate B.S Slathia while talking to the media persons at Srinagar on Thursday said that the FIR was lodged on 7th Feb,2014 and they filed an application seeking the permission to file the bail plea in Jammu, which was denied. “On 8th Feb, we rushed to Srinagar for filing bail plea. However, keeping in view the situation, we decided to move to the High Court as some Kashmir based lawyers had already threatened that if the bail is granted, the Kashmir bar will go on strike”, he added.
Regarding the FIR, Senior Advocate B S Slathia assisted by advocates C M Sharma, Nitin Gupta and Baldev Singh contended that the alleged victim had approached Khan for out-of-turn promotion, which Khan had denied, leading to registration of a “false” case.(PTI)
Source: http://www.statetimes.in/news/shabir-arrested-freed-bail-seeks-permission-attend-assembly/
Shabir arrested, freed on bail Seeks permission to attend Assembly