Himachal High Court notice to Prem Kumar Dhumal, Jai Ram Thakur in Jagat Negi’s defamation case

Shimla, July 22

The Himachal High Court today issued notices to former Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur on a petition related to a defamation case filed by Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi.

Justice Rakesh Kainthla issued the notices on Negi’s petition challenging the order of a lower court, which had not issued summons to the two senior BJP leaders in the defamation case.

Aggrieved by the lower court’s order, Negi filed a petition before the high court. After hearing senior counsel Sharwan Dogra appearing for the petitioner, the court issued notices to all respondents returnable within four weeks.

On December 24, 2016, the BJP leaders had submitted a charge sheet to the Governor, levelling serious allegations against Negi, who was then Congress MLA from Kinnaur. Negi had filed a defamation complaint against 10 BJP leaders before the CJM, Kinnaur, under Sections 499 and 500 of the IPC in 2017. The court had issued summons to only one BJP leader, Tejwant Negi, in the case.

Negi moved the High Court, which issued notices to two former BJP Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur. Besides, the court also issued notices to state BJP president Rajeev Bindal, MLAs Vipin Singh Parmar (Sullah), Satpal Singh Satti (Una) and Randhir Sharma (Naina Devi) and former MLAs Thakur Mahendra Singh, Suresh Bhardwaj and Ravindra Ravi.