Photo for representational purpose only

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 3

Nearly five years after a Ludhiana Court issued summons to now Aam Admi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on a complaint filed by MLA Bikram Singh Majithia alleging defamation, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today refused to interfere in the matter.

Dismissing two petitions filed by Sanjay Singh, Justice Sanjay Kumar asserted the summoning order clearly demonstrated application of mind by the Magistrate at Ludhiana. All relevant issues were duly considered by him before issuing summons.

Then serving as Revenue Minister, Majithia had filed a complaint dated January 7, 2016, for defamation, criminal conspiracy and other offences under Section 499, read with Sections 500, 501, 502 and 120-B of the IPC.

He alleged on September 5, 2015, the petitioner made scurrilous and defamatory statements against him at a rally at Moga, which were published in an English daily by the accused editor, editor-in-chief and a reporter (not The Tribune). Again, the petitioner made similar statements about him on December 27, 2015, at a public rally at Fatehgarh Sahib and they were published in the newspapers. The import of these statements was that he was involved in drug trafficking.

Justice Kumar observed it appeared that the accused editor, editor-in-chief and reporter, thereafter, apologised to Majithia and the complaint was dismissed as withdrawn insofar as they were concerned. The petitioner alone remained as the accused in this complaint case.

Justice Kumar added it appeared that Sanjay Singh misled the High Court to the effect that exemption had not been granted on July 18, 2019, upon his application, though it was actually otherwise.

The petitioner filed an application immediately thereafter for the order’s modification, but that was after he secured interim relief on the strength of his factual misstatement. “This conduct on his part could not be countenanced as the counsel appearing for him before the Magistrate at Ludhiana would have been well aware of the outcome of the exemption application on that day itself, even if the order had not been uploaded or was not available”.