Navneet Chaturvedi case: High Court issues notices to Punjab, Chandigarh police for Nov 4

The tussle between the Punjab and Chandigarh Police over the custody of Navneet Chaturvedi came up before the high court, which issued notices to parties concerned for November 4.

In a petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Punjab Government on Wednesday sought directions to stop the Chandigarh authorities from interfering in the execution of arrest warrants against Chaturvedi.

Meanwhile, in his plea, Chaturvedi alleged that the Punjab Police “attempted to abduct him” from the premises of a Chandigarh police station and sought protection from arrest.

Chaturvedi has claimed that multiple FIRs against him were lodged without following due process and that the Punjab Police attempted to “forcibly take him away” despite the Chandigarh Police’s presence.

The Punjab Government claimed that the Chandigarh Police “obstructed the arrest” on October 14 and “forcibly took custody of the accused” despite formal notices and requisitions under Sections 81 and 94 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, thereby sheltering him while he was wanted in a serious offence of forgery of Rajya Sabha nomination papers.

The government said Chaturvedi, national president of the Janta Party, forged the signatures of sitting legislators to project them falsely as proposers in his nomination, thereby committing grave offences under Sections 318, 336(2), 336(3), 336(4), 340(2), and 61(2) of the BNS.

The Punjab Government sought transfer of the custody of the accused to the state police and initiation of contempt and departmental action against the officials responsible for the defiance of court orders.

Chaturvedi, while seeking protection from arrest for 10 days, accused the Punjab Police of using force and violence against the Chandigarh Police so that he could not avail statutory remedies in accordance with law.