Shimla, Sept 18,
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed former Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur to respond within four weeks to a defamation revision petition filed by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi. The case, listed before Justice Rakesh Kainthla, revolves around allegations made by BJP leaders against Negi when he was a Congress MLA from Kinnaur.
In 2017, Negi had lodged a defamation complaint before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Kinnaur under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, accusing 10 BJP leaders, including former MLAs Tajwant Negi and Prem Kumar Dhumal, of defaming him.
The accusations stem from a charge sheet submitted by BJP leaders to the Governor on December 24, 2016, which alleged misconduct on Negi’s part. However, the trial court in Kinnaur only issued summons to one BJP leader, Tejwant Negi, in the case, prompting Jagat Singh Negi to challenge the decision in the High Court.
Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel Sharwan Dogra argued that the lower court’s decision not to summon the other leaders, including the two former chief ministers, was erroneous. In response, the High Court issued notices to the respondents, including BJP leaders Rajeev Bindal, Vipin Singh Parmar, Satpal Singh Satti, Randhir Sharma, Thakur Mahendra Singh, Suresh Bhardwaj, and Ravindra Ravi.
Sudhir Thakur, representing Prem Kumar Dhumal, confirmed that the court had granted four weeks for the respondents to file their replies. The matter will be further considered after the submissions are made.
Jagat Singh Negi’s petition seeks to challenge the trial court’s ruling and compel the issuance of summons to all the accused leaders. The defamation case, based on serious allegations of misconduct and corruption, has drawn attention due to the involvement of prominent political figures in Himachal Pradesh.
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