Delhi court refuses plea for police custody of Shankar Mishra who urinated on Air India co-passenger; remands him to judicial custody

A Delhi court Saturday refused to grant Delhi police custody of Shankar Mishra, arrested for allegedly urinating on a fellow woman passenger on board an Air India flight from New York to Delhi in November last year. .The Delhi Police had sought 3-day police custody of Mishra. Metropolitan Magistrate Anamika at Delhi's Patiala House Court said that the fact that there is public pressure should not sway the investigation in the case and Mishra's police custody would not be required. The Court, therefore, remanded Mishra to judicial custody for 14 days."In the considered opinion of this court, physical presence if the accused is not required to interrogate other witnesses. Even Section 164 CrPC statement can be recorded without taking him into police custody. For reasons above, PC application is denied. He is remanded to 14-day judicial custody," the Court directed..Mishra was arrested by the Delhi police in Bengaluru on Friday night for having allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman while in an inebriated condition in November on board Air India flight. The incident came to light after the woman's letter to Tata Group chairperson made it to the media.Mishra, who worked at Wells Fargo, was also let go from his job after the company said that allegations against him were "deeply disturbing". .A statement was recently put out by Mishra's lawyers stating that he had paid an agreed compensation amount to the woman on November 28, but almost a month later on December 19 the money was returned to him by the woman's daughter. After Mishra's arrest yesterday from Bengaluru, he brought to Delhi. The Public Prosecutor (PP) submitted that Mishra did not cooperate with the probe."We arrested him from Bengaluru. Investigation is still on. We need to interrogate a lot of people," the PP Said.However, the judge said that Mishra's custody would not be required to examine crew members and other witnesses."You are saying crew members are to be examined and etc. Why do you need him (Mishra) for this? Why can't he be sent to the judicial custody," the judge asked..Mishra's lawyer advocate Manu Sharma said that only one of the offences invoked against Mishra are non-bailable. "Please see the FIR. Only one of the sections invoked is non-bailable. Rest of them are bailable," he said.The victim's lawyer said that the crew members of the flight on which the incident happened are also responsible. "Just because public pressure ban gaya hai don't do this," the judge replied.The Court after hearing the parties refused plea by Delhi Police for police custody and instead remanded Mishra to 14-day police custody. .Mishra also separately filed for bail on which the Court issued notice to the Delhi Police. The bail plea will be heard on January 11.