Citizenship row: court allows police probe against Henry

The court of judicial magistrate (first class) Harpreet Singh accepted the police's application to initiate a probe against former minister and senior Congress leader Avtar Henry for allegedly filing a false affidavit and concealing his British nationality.

The court of judicial magistrate (first class) Harpreet Singh accepted the police's application to initiate a probe against former minister and senior Congress leader Avtar Henry for allegedly filing a false affidavit and concealing his British nationality.

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Then Jalandhar police commissioner Gaurav Yadav had told the station house officer (SHO), Baradari police station, on August 19 to submit an application in the court under Section 155 (2) of the CrPC for obtaining the order for the judicial magistrate for an investigation into an offence under Section 125-A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, against Henry.

On the complaint of Jalandhar resident Ajay Kumar Sehgal, the Punjab and Haryana high court had on March 13 issued a contempt notice to Yadav over not registering an FIR against Henry for allegedly getting an Indian passport after changing his name and contesting elections in India by concealing his British citizenship.

Yadav had informed the court that he had made a request to the regional deputy director, urban local government-cum-returning officer, Jalandhar North, to initiate legal action against Henry in the case as the offence was non-cognisable and it was 'difficult' to register an FIR. But the competent authority could initiate prosecution, Yadav had said.