A Delhi court issued a show cause notice to the station house officer (SHO) and investigating officer (IO) at Shaheen Bagh police station asking why they should not be convicted for allegedly furnishing false information regarding the previous involvement of former Congress MLA Asif Mohammad Khan, arrested recently for allegedly misbehaving with police. Additional Sessions Judge Sonu Agnihotri made the observations as he dismissed Khan's bail application. "Issue show cause notice to IO SI Ashish Sharma and SHO PS Shaheen Bagh under section 177 IPC to show cause as to why they should not be convicted and punished for furnishing false information to this court regarding the previous involvement of the accused," the court order read. During the hearing, the court noted that a wrong/non-updated previous involvement report was filed by police. Khan's lawyers argued that a "false case was lodged against the accused in order to detain him in custody as the accused takes up social issues against police and police is adamant to keep the accused in custody on one pretext or the other”. “Data of pending cases filed by IO with the reply to bail application of the accused is not correct and that only three cases at present are pending against the accused and in rest of cases, he has either been acquitted or discharged," senior advocate Ramesh Gupta told the court. Additional Public Prosecutor Nischal Singh told the court that "it may be that previous involvement report of accused has been filed by police without updation but that conduct of accused has been consistent in attacking government officials on duty", however, "attack on law enforcers is a depreciable act and accused should not be granted bail". The court perused the videos of the incident and stated that the accused has "no respect for law of the land and he considers himself to be above law". "The manner in which he is seen speaking with police officials is depreciable. Whatever cause may be available to a person against government officials, he is not expected to take law unto in his own hands and misbehave and mishandle government officials who are discharging their official duties," the court said. Khan has been accused of allegedly obstructing a constable's way in the Shaheen Bagh area, uttering objectionable words at the policeman and then trying to incite the public at large.
