Raman Singh has argued that he’s not the writer of the paperwork. File
Raipur:
The High Court of Chhattisgarh has stayed the investigation into the FIR registered in opposition to BJP vice-president and former chief minister Raman Singh on a criticism that he circulated an alleged toolkit utilizing a pretend letterhead of the Congress.
Mr Singh had sought quashing of the FIR filed on a criticism by Akash Sharma, state president of Congress arm NSUI. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra can be an accused within the case.
In its order on Mr Singh’s plea, the bench of Justice Narendra Kumar Vyas mentioned right this moment that “present FIR has been registered with political motives” and that permitting the investigation to proceed shall be “nothing but an abuse of law”. The court docket granted the state authorities three weeks’ time to file a reply. The case shall be heard subsequent after 4 weeks.
Last month, a number of BJP leaders shared an alleged “Congress toolkit” and accused the social gathering of attempting to smear the federal government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with ideas like calling the India-dominant mutant the “India strain” or the “Modi strain”. The Congress known as the “toolkit” pretend and filed a police criticism for forgery in opposition to BJP president J P Nadda and others who shared it.
According to the excessive court docket order, Mr Singh has argued that the “toolkit” matter is being investigated by Delhi Police and added that he’s not the writer of the paperwork.
The petitioner, the order has mentioned, additionally contended that no offence is made out below the sections regarding insult with intent to impress breach of peace. He has additionally mentioned that it is a “political clash” between two rival events and that the assertion “falls within the ambit of freedom of speech”.
Responding to Mr Singh’s argument on the Delhi Police probe, the state authorities’s counsel mentioned the petitioner can’t declare that the investigation be carried out as per his alternative and that the state police is free to probe the matter.
The court docket mentioned that prima facie, no case is made out in opposition to Mr Singh and “criminal proceedings is manifestly attended against the petitioner with malafides or with political grudge”.
“…I am of the view that the petitioner has made out a strong case of grant of stay, as continuation of investigation on basis of FIR dated 19.05.2021 will be nothing but an abuse of process of law,” the choose mentioned within the order.
