High court dismisses Delhi BJP candidate SC Vats’s application to hide news of rape accusation

06 February 2020
In her complaint, the assistant professor noted that Vats began to threaten her when she refused his advances.
In her complaint, the assistant professor noted that Vats began to threaten her when she refused his advances.

On 31 January, Suresh Chand Vats, a Bharatiya Janata Party politician, filed an application in the Delhi High Court seeking an injunction against a Hindustan Times article published in February 2015. The article stated that Vats had been booked for rape and sexual assault. Vats is contesting the upcoming Delhi assembly elections from the Shakur Basti constituency in north Delhi. The BJP leader argued before the high court that he had been discharged of the offence of rape, and therefore, the news report was “ex facie defamatory.” The court heard and dismissed the application on the same day.

In 2015, Vats lost the assembly elections to Satyendar Jain of the Aam Aadmi Party. On 8 February this year, he goes up against Jain again.

Vats is also the founder and chairperson of an educational institute called the Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies. In February 2015, on the basis of a complaint filed by an assistant professor at the institute, the Delhi police registered a case against Vats for rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, assault with intent to disrobe, stalking and criminal intimidation. In her complaint, the assistant professor said that the sexual assault took place in October 2013. The case was registered at the Maurya Enclave police station in north west Delhi.

Arshu John is a former assistant editor at The Caravan. Prior to that, he was an advocate practising criminal law in Delhi.

Keywords: Delhi Elections 2020 Bharatiya Janata Party rape Sexual Assault sexual harassment
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