Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has dismissed a plea filed by Congress leader Pawan Khera challenging the rejection of his request for discharge in the case for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s father and linking the prime minister with major industrialists.
Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan dismissed plea the plea of Khera against a January 5 order passed by the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) and said that he should face the trial in the case.
Case is related to derogatory comments made by Khera about PM Modi’s father and linking the PM with major industrialists
The case is related to “derogatory” comments made by the Congress leader in February 2023 about PM Modi’s father and linking the PM Modi with major industrialists. Khera in a press conference held on February 17, 2023 in Mumbai allegedly uttered objectionable and insulting words against Prime Minister Modi using inappropriate language.
First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered on February 20, 2023 at the Cantonment police station in Varanasi and the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. Another case against the Congress leader was registered on February 22, 2023 at a police station in Assam.
Supreme Court clubbed and transferred all cases to Hazratganj police station in Lucknow
Khera had earlier challenged these FIRs before the Supreme Court, which clubbed and transferred all the cases to the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on March 20, 2023 for further investigation and a chargesheet against Khera in the CJM’s court in Lucknow was filed following the investigation.
Plea by Khera not maintainable: Govt advocate
Government Advocate VK Singh raised objection regarding maintainability of Khera’s petition, submitting that he had approached this court and the Supreme Court time and again and the apex court relegated the matter to the jurisdictional Court. Besides, Khera tendered his unconditional apology before the top court, which, after clubbing all the FIRs, relegated the matter to the jurisdictional court, Lucknow, and therefore, the present petition is not maintainable.
What did the High Court say?
“Notably, before filing this petition, the petitioner has earlier filed two more petitions, more or less on the same request, and this court has not granted relief as prayed in those petitions. In the present case, I do not find any rarest of the rare circumstances, compelling to discharge the applicant and to quash the orders. Besides, the present applicant has not assailed the proceedings then he should participate in the trial proceedings,” the High Court said and added, “this petition is dismissed being not maintainable at this stage.”
