Bharat Bhushan AshuFour days after a local court in Ludhiana dismissed the application of senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu seeking to be heard via video-conferencing as a witness in a harassment case against his party colleague Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Sidhu has moved the high court challenging the trial court order.
Sidhu’s counsel Manjit Singh Khaira said that the case is now listed for hearing on October 21 in the high court.
The trial court in its October 15 order had said that a witness cannot demand hearing via video-conferencing as a right.
“…a witness cannot claim his examination by the way of video-conferencing as a matter of right. It is for the court to see…,” read the order.
The Ludhiana court had also issued fresh production warrants and ordered Sidhu to appear before the court on October 21.
Sidhu, who is currently lodged in Patiala Central Jail in a road rage case, has refused to appear physically in the court as a witness in the harassment case against Ashu related to CLU (change of land use) scam inquiry. Ashu too is currently lodged in jail in a corruption case.
Sidhu has been citing “threat to life” and “security concerns” as the reason for not appearing in the Ludhiana court. Earlier too, his two such applications in the trial court and a revision petition in sessions court were dismissed.