Advocate booked for posing as judge sues 2 Chandigarh cops for defamation

Over a year after a lawyer was booked for allegedly posing as a judicial officer, the accused has filed a defamation case against two cops for making his video without his consent and uploading it on the social media.

In the case filed in the district court through advocates Vinod K Verma and Karan Verma, Prakash Singh Marwah stated that his image had been tarnished by the alleged illegal act of ASI Ajit Singh and Constable Yogesh of Chandigarh Police.

The police had booked him for impersonation alleging that he posed as a judicial magistrate first class (JMIC) in a bid to avoid a challan after being stopped by the traffic police for a violation at the Sector 45/46/49/50 roundabout.

A six-minute video of the altercation between Marwah, a resident of Sector 51, and the traffic cops had surfaced on the social media.

The complainant stated that on May 18, 2024, around 6.30 pm, he was travelling with his old, ailing mother when the two cops stopped his car near the 45/46/49/80 roundabout, claiming that he had jumped the red light. The cops also claimed that the number of the vehicle was not visible on the number plates. Marwah claimed that a false FIR was registered against him and a video of the alleged incident was prepared without his knowledge and consent.

The video was shared on social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. As the video has been uploaded without his consent, it hampered his privacy following which he had moved Punjab and Haryana High Court.

As his petition came up for hearing in the High Court, the UT SSP and ADGP filed their detailed replies wherein they admitted that there was no official group where any of such videos could be uploaded and the cops made the video viral with the connivance of each other, stated Marwah. The advocate sought action against the two cops under Sections 356, 353, 49 and 199 read with Section 3 (5) of the BNS. He also sought compensation under Section 395 of the BNSS.