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Punjab RS bypoll: Chaturvedi moves HC for protection from arrest
Following allegations of forgery and objections by AAP MLAs during scrutiny, Chaturvedi’s nomination papers were rejected on Tuesday.
A day after a dramatic confrontation between Chandigarh Police and Ropar police near Sukhna Lake over his custody, Janata Party president and forgery accused Navneet Chaturvedi on Wednesday moved the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking protection from arrest in the criminal case registered against him.
Chaturvedi, who belongs to Rajasthan, had filed two sets of nomination papers as an independent candidate for the October 24 Rajya Sabha byelection in Punjab. In his first set of papers, filed on October 6, he named 10 AAP MLAs as his proposers without their signatures. He submitted a second set of papers on October 13, which carried the names of the 10 AAP MLAs as his proposers along with their signatures. During scrutiny on Tuesday, his papers were rejected as the signatures of all 10 MLAs were found to be forged. Most of the MLAs had informed the police about the forgery in their respective districts on Monday.
After the FIR was registered in Ropar, a Punjab Police team went to Chandigarh to arrest him, but the UT Police took him into their custody. The Chandigarh Police kept him at the Sector 3 police station overnight, with Punjab Police officers waiting outside.
In the petition, Chaturvedi sought protection from arrest for 10 days and directions to Punjab Police to produce the FIR registered against him before the court. He also alleged attempts to abduct him by Punjab Police on Tuesday.
Punjab Police have also moved a petition in the high court seeking his custody.
