HC to hear plea challenging criminal proceedings against Uma Bharti on Jan 6

The Allahabad High Court will hear on January 6 next year a plea filed by former union minister Uma Bharti challenging the criminal proceedings initiated against her in 2012 for allegedly obstructing a public servant from performing his duties. Earlier on October 17, 2020, the high court had directed the lower court to proceed with the trial in accordance with the law. It was alleged that Bharti and her supporters, during a political event at Charkhari, Mahoba in 2012, forcibly stopped a public servant from discharging his duty and violated prohibitory orders.

Justice Suneet Kumar passed the order on Thursday, fixing the hearing for January 6 on a petition filed by the BJP leader and six others. In the petition, it was claimed that Bharti and her supporters were falsely implicated in the case due to political rivalry as she was a candidate in the assembly elections. An FIR was registered against Bharti and her supporters under Indian Penal Code sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) among others at Police Station Charkhari of Mahoba district.