The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the city police to respond to Aam Aadmi Party legislator Prakash Jarwal’s bail plea in a week, PTI reported. Jarwal was arrested on February 20 for allegedly assaulting Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. His colleague Amanatullah Khan was arrested a day later.

Justice Mukta Gupta instructed the police to file a status report on the matter by March 7. Jarwal moved the High Court on Wednesday, a day after a lower court rejected his bail application. The Deoli MLA had sought relief on the grounds that he was young and newly married.

Senior lawyer Rebecca M John, Jarwal’s counsel, told the High Court that the police had concluded its investigation in the case. “The learned Session judge has failed to appreciate that the FIR was registered at 1 pm [the] next day [February 21], which constituted substantial delay given the fact that complainant [Prakash] himself is at a powerful position with direct access to the highest officials of the Delhi Police,” John argued. “Therefore, the FIR is a clear afterthought and motivated to falsely implicate the petitioner and others.”

John added that the police had accused the legislator of being involved in cases that were political in nature and had either been dismissed or not proved. On February 23, a magisterial court had refused to grant bail to either Jarwal or Khan, saying the matter cannot be treated in a “casual and routine manner” considering they were both “history-sheeters”.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has summoned two Aam Aadmi Party MLAs – Nitin Tyagi and Rajesh Rishi – for questioning about the alleged assault, The Indian Express reported.