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Shimla, Apr 28,
Himachal Pradesh High Court has dismissed a criminal revision petition filed by Kuljit Kaur alias Shallu, upholding the trial court’s decision to frame charges against her in a case involving allegations of rape, blackmail and extortion spanning multiple jurisdictions.
The petition challenged an order passed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Una, which had rejected her discharge plea and framed charges under Sections 120-B, 384 and 506 of the IPC. The accused had argued that the Una court lacked territorial jurisdiction, contending that the alleged offences attributed to her occurred in Kurukshetra, Haryana, and not in Himachal Pradesh.
The case originates from an FIR lodged in December 2020 at Police Station Chintpurni, Una, based on a complaint by the husband of the victim. He alleged that co-accused Narender Kumar sexually assaulted his wife and, along with Kuljit Kaur, blackmailed her using obscene photographs and videos, extorting large sums of money over time. Investigations indicated that over ₹22 lakh was transferred through banking channels, with additional cash payments allegedly made.
Justice Sandeep Sharma, while dismissing the petition on Monday, observed that the alleged offences constituted a chain of acts committed across different locations. The Court noted that while the initial offence occurred in Kurukshetra, subsequent acts of extortion and financial transactions took place in Himachal Pradesh, thereby conferring jurisdiction upon courts in the state.
Relying on provisions of the CrPC relating to offences spanning multiple jurisdictions, the Court held that the trial court had acted within its authority. It further observed that the petitioner was allegedly complicit in facilitating the crime and subsequent blackmail.
Finding no illegality in the trial court’s order, the High Court dismissed the revision petition, allowing the trial to proceed.
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