A local court has summoned Sangrur district Congress president Rajinder Singh Raja, aka Raja Bir Kalan, to face trial in a criminal defamation complaint filed by Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president and cabinet minister Aman Arora.
Judicial magistrate first class Navneet Kaur issued the summons and fixed September 7 for Raja’s appearance, subject to Arora furnishing copies of the complaint within three days.
Arora filed the complaint in November 2019 over alleged remarks made by Raja during a press conference in Sangrur on September 20, 2018, a day after polling for a block samiti seat in the area.
According to the complaint, Raja had allegedly accused Arora of being responsible for the death of his father and claimed that the death was a murder rather than a suicide.
The dispute has its roots in the 2018 block samiti election in Jharon. According to Arora’s complaint, a Congress-backed candidate had allegedly opened fire at an AAP candidate with a physical disability during an election-related dispute. Raja was separately named as an accused in a police case registered in connection with the incident under provisions relating to attempt to murder and the Arms Act.
Arora, who represents the Sunam assembly segment, alleged that the remarks made during the press conference lowered his reputation and caused mental distress to him and his family.
{{/usCountry}}Arora, who represents the Sunam assembly segment, alleged that the remarks made during the press conference lowered his reputation and caused mental distress to him and his family.
{{/usCountry}}During the proceedings, three witnesses, including a correspondent posted at the Sangrur office of the Punjabi newspaper at the relevant time, appeared before the court and gave evidence regarding the publication of the news report.
After examining the material on record, the court held that a prima facie case of criminal defamation was made out against Raja.
While passing the order, the magistrate referred to a Supreme Court judgment concerning a magistrate’s duty to examine the evidence and material on record before summoning an accused in a criminal complaint.
The complaint was filed under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deal with criminal defamation. The court summoned Raja under Section 500 IPC.