Though lawyer Archit Jayakar had denied having laid a finger on any cop during the fracas at the MRA Marg police station following the raid on Liv bar, pictures of the skirmish reveal that it is not entirely true
On Friday night, lawyer Archit Jayakar (34) was detained by the MRA Marg police for creating a scene at the police station in the wake of the LIV bar raid, attacking some of the officers and allowing many of the detained persons to slip away. Jayakar later filed for anticipatory bail, and speaking to the media, said that he hadn’t forced his way out of the police station, or so much as touched a police officer.
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Photographs obtained by MiD DAY, however, tell a different story. They clearly show Jayakar getting embroiled in a scuffle with several constables as they try to prevent him from forcibly opening the police station gate to let himself out.
A source said, “A policeman was badly injured in the fracas and suffered bruises on his face.”
The police have booked Jayakar and LIV club partner Hrithik Bhasin under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and Section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), along with Section 506 – II (criminal intimidation).
Ground reality: Photographs obtained by MiD DAY show Jayakar locked in a tussle with cops as he tries to force open the gates of the MRA Marg police station. Cops have alleged that many of the detained persons slipped out in the commotion
The police had raided LIV, a lounge bar at Kala Ghoda, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
‘Not supermen’
Jayakar, who contested the 2009 elections on an MNS ticket, maintained his stand. “No one was assaulted. The cops were armed with lathis and sticks. Bhasin and I are not supermen to be assaulting 20 police officers. If we’d really assaulted them, do you think they would have spared us? We would be in jail. We merely pushed open the gate of the police station so that people could leave. We were met with resistance. Both Bhasin and I were the last to leave the police station. We later met the senior inspector of police Padmakar Juikar at LIV. Would the police have spared us if we had assaulted them?”
Interim protection
Meanwhile, the Sessions Court granted interim protection to both Jayakar and Bhasin. Citing recently-amended provisions of the CrPC, advocate Aabad Ponda, appearing on behalf of Jayakar and Bhasin, argued that since the offences both men were charged with are punishable with less than seven years, the 2010 amendments to the CrPC would come into effect, under which an arrest can be made only if certain conditions are satisfied.
“Jayakar is a lawyer and Bhasin has deep roots in society. Neither of them are going to run away,” Ponda told the court. Based on Ponda’s arguments, the court ordered Jayakar and Bhasin to attend the MRA Marg police station and provide their statements on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Since Jayakar is a practicing lawyer, he is being allowed to attend the police station after court hours, between 5 and 6 pm. This condition was also made applicable to Bhasin. Thereafter, both men will be required to come to the police station as and when required for investigations. u00a0
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