Silvassa District Collector approaches Bombay High Court to quash FIR implicating him in abetment to suicide case of MP Mohan Delkar

Silvassa District Collector, Sandeep Kumar Singh has approached the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered against him by the Mumbai Police for his alleged involvement in the abetment to suicide of Mohan Delkar, the Member of Parliament of Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli (DNH) and Daman & Diu..The plea filed through advocate Sunny Bhimra stated that the allegations against Singh are merely to tarnish his image among the people. .The plea said that the FIR came to be registered by Delkar's son claiming that the accused in the FIR including Singh, abetted the suicide of Delkar by misusing their power and conspiring against Delkar despite knowing that he was an MP..It was further submitted that the FIR does not satisfy the requisite ingredients of the Section 306 of IPC and there ought to be instigation or conspiracy to aid the deceased to commit suicide..A mere allegation of harassment without there being any positive action proximate to the time of occurrence on the part of the accused which compelled the person to commit suicide will not sustain, Singh contended..Delkar was found dead at a hotel in Marine Drive, Mumbai after allegedly having committed suicide..FIR was registered by the Marine Drive police station for offences under Section 306 (abetment of suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 389 (putting person in fear of accusation of offence) of the Indian Penal Code.As per the FIR, a suicide note left behind said that Delkar had purportedly raised voice against the administration of the Union Territory due to which he had to face harassment by officials and the police..Delkar was allegedly under pressure for a year due to the harassment by the administration of the Union Territory allegedly as per orders of Praful Patel, Administrator of DNH, the FIR stated..Singh, however, claimed in his petition that the FIR does not mention that Delkar was ever subjected to any grievous hurt, or assault and there was no threat to impose social or economic boycott contemplated in the section.."On the contrary, the record show that he has always been given all the dignity and respect which is required to be given to an individual as well as to an Hon'ble Member of Parliament," it was submitted. .Singh further stated that the administration had never been against the deceased and there was no single incident of the deceased being personally subjected to any legal proceedings by the administration. ."Every action initiated was pertaining to the official act done by the petitioner and therefore he cannot be held responsible or criminally liable for the same," the plea added. .Singh concluded by stating that they had never met for several months and had no occasion of even interacting immediately prior to the commission of suicide..Senior Advocate Amit Desai along with Bhimra moved the Court seeking an interim order of "no coercive step" against Singh..A Bench of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale placed the matter for hearing on Thursday and recorded the statement of the State that no coercive steps will be taken till the hearing tomorrow.