Delhi HC stays Lokesh Sharma’s arrest till 19 Dec

The hearing on the highly debated phone tapping case involving Lokesh Sharma, who served as OSD under the former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, took place in the Delhi High Court on Friday. During the hearing, advocate Sandeep Jha, representing the state government, stated that, due to the change in the government in Rajasthan, directions need to be sought from the new government in the case. A period of 1 to 2 weeks is given for this.
On the other hand, the counsel present on behalf of the complainant stated that there is nothing left in this case now. Lokesh Sharma acknowledged in the interviews given in the past few days and the media reports that he is aware of the phone tapping.
Justice Vikas Mahajan commented that interviews and media reports cannot be considered during the hearing. In response to continuous references to media reports and news articles by the complainant’s counsel, Lokesh Sharma’s advocate stated, “We do not know which media reports the complainant’s counsel is referring to and what is written in them. Therefore, file an affidavit, and we will respond to it.”
Meanwhile, after obtaining the time requested by the state government and receiving directions from the government, further arguments in the case will be discussed on December 19. Lokesh Sharma, who served as OSD under the current Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, cannot be arrested until then, and he will continue to receive relief from the court.
It is worth noting that the hearing of the case has been continuously postponed for various reasons since October 11. During the hearing on October 11, senior advocate Siddharth Agrawal, representing Lokesh Sharma, had dismissed the allegations of phone tapping and not cooperating with the Delhi Police in the investigation as baseless. On that day too, the argument on Lokesh Sharma’s side remained incomplete, which was supposed to be completed on the next date. Now, the next hearing in the case is scheduled for December 19, and until then, the stay on Lokesh Sharma’s arrest will remain in effect.
It is worth mentioning that in March 2021, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat filed a case against Lokesh Sharma in the Delhi Crime Branch, accusing him of phone tapping. In the same case, a demand has been made to cancel the FIR filed by Lokesh Sharma against the Union Minister.