A Delhi court on Wednesday, 16 March, granted bail to a man, identified as Shakti Dhar Reddy, who was arrested by the Delhi Police on 16 February, for allegedly trying to break into the residence of National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Tughlaq Road.
Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Jain on Wednesday said, “Considering the nature of allegations, the background of accused and the fact that accused is in custody since 16 February and no more is required for investigation, the accused/ applicant Shakti Dhar Reddy is admitted to bail after furnishing personal bond in the sum of Rs 50,000 with one surety in the like amount,” news agency ANI reported.
As per the preliminary investigation, the man was driving a rented car and appeared to be suffering from mental distress. The Bengaluru resident had reportedly claimed that he was being controlled through a chip implanted in his brain.
'Accused Had No Intention to Cause Harm'
The advocates appearing on behalf of Reddy had argued that the case against him was that he purposely banged his vehicle at the gate of Doval's residence. However, not a single person was reported injured during the incident, they said.
They also argued that the only reason the accident took place was because the accused lost control of the car, adding that he had no intention to cause harm to anybody or damage the NSA's property.
The lawyers also stated that Reddy did not have any criminal antecedents, and was not required to be interrogated further.
Additional Public Prosecutor Ravindra Kumar, appearing on behalf of the Delhi Police, stated that during the interrogation process, it was found that Reddy was a "psycho", and that he in fact did not have any criminal antecedents.
Doval, who served as a former Intelligence Bureau (IB) director and is the first NSA to be granted a second term, is among the most-guarded government officers in the country.
(With inputs from ANI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)