Raj CM Gehlot's OSD skips fourth summons of Delhi Police in alleged phone taping case

New Delhi, December 3

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s OSD Lokesh Sharma has reportedly skipped fourth summons of Delhi Police in a case registered against him for illegal taping and intercepting of phone by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Shekhawat. 

Sharma had moved an application with the Delhi High Court for early hearing of his case, where he had prayed for quashing the FIR against him. 

Sharma had submitted before the bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad that the police have proceeded with the third summons, which warns of an arrest, although the court had stayed any coercive action against him. Delhi Police then assured the court that no “coercive action” would be taken against Sharma until further orders from the court.

Sharma was summoned by Delhi Police on July 24, October 2 and November 12 this year, which were all skipped by him citing personal reasons, family matters and bad health of his father. The third summons had also warned him of his arrest. 

However, the Delhi Police served fourth summons to Joshi to appear before them failing which he could get arrested. 

The Delhi Crime Branch had also issued summons to Congress chief Mahesh Joshi, asking him to appear before it on June 24. 

Joshi had termed it “political malice, unwarranted pressure”, and had “challenged” Shekhawat to give his voice samples in the case. He too had skipped the summons citing several reasons, including the ongoing case in the High Court.

As per the case details, the audio tapes allegedly involving one Gajendra Singh, Sanjay Jain, as well as Congress MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh had surfaced in Rajasthan, with then Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot leading a rebellion of 19 Congress MLAs. 

Joshi had reportedly named all these individuals except Vishvendra Singh in his complaint with the ACB last year.