FORMER DELHI HIGH COURT BAR ASSOCIATION RAJIV KHOSLA CONVICTED FOR ASSAULTING A LAWYER AFTER 27 YEARS

Rajiv Khosla, Former Delhi High Court Bar Association was recently convicted by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Tiz Hazari court, Gajendra Singh Ngara, for assaulting a lawyer, Sujata Kohli, in 1994. Rajiv Kholsa had been convicted under sections 323 and 506 of the IPC after more than 27 years of a complaint filed against him.

Kohli later became a judge in Delhi Judiciary and last year retired as a District and sessions judge.

In August 1994, Sujata Kholi accused Khosla of pressurizing her to join various protests. Khosla was then secretary of the Delhi Bar association. Kholi informed the Court that she had a seat in the bar association library in the Tiz Hazari complex. She further added that Khosla opposed the setting up of a Family Court while she favored such a setup. In July 1994, she was asked to attend a seminar on the setting up of Family Court but refused due to her busy schedule. On account of which Khosla started threatening her.

Thereafter, she filed a civil suit of the injunction, but soon her sitting area was cleared in the Court complex in Tihar. In August 1994, she moved an application to change to nature of the suit from the permanent injunction to mandatory injunction. The complainant, Kohli, was waiting in her seat as per the civil Court’s direction; Khosla arrived with 40-50 people, pulled and dragged Kohli by her hair while also hurling threats and abuses. Kohli filed a complaint, but the police registered it after five days.

Kohli was not satisfied with the investigation and moved to a private complaint about the prosecution. In 2002, the complaint and police case was clubbed after she became a judge.

The Court rejected Delhi Police’s argument about the lack of independent witnesses and Medico-legal certificate, holding that only bodily pain was caused. The Court also rejected Khosla’s argument that Kohli made up the case and held Khosla guilty of voluntarily causing heart and criminal intimidation.

Author: Papiha Ghoshal