CHANDIGARH: In a significant judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed an FIRs against former AAP leader and poet Kumar Vishwas and BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga. The Punjab Police had registered an FIR against Kumar Vishwas in Ropar on April 12 this year. After his comment on Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Police team also reached Kumar Vishwas's house.
Actually, Kumar Vishwas had given a statement against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. On this basis, on the complaint of an AAP worker, the police had registered a case against Kumar Vishwas in Ropar. But Kumar Vishwas took refuge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and appealed to quash the FIR registered against him. Now the High Court has given its decision.
Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga who was charged with allegedly making provocative statements and criminal intimidation.
On April 1, the Punjab Police booked Bagga for alleged offences of making provocative statements, promoting enmity, and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali.
The FIR referred to Bagga's remarks on March 30, when he was part of a BJP youth wing protest outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
On May 6, the Punjab Police had arrested Bagga from his Janakpuri residence here but the Delhi Police had brought him back from Haryana, alleging that its Punjab counterpart had not informed it about the arrest.
Kumar Vishwas told the High Court that this FIR has not only been registered in violation of the legal process while it is also a result of political rivalry. FIR has been made a means to take vengeance from his opponents. Along with these arguments, Kumar Vishwas had demanded from the High Court to quash the FIR. Kumar Vishwas said that on the basis of the interview of February 12, an FIR was registered in Ropar, whereas he gave this interview in Mumbai.
The police showed great speed in registering this FIR as the complaint was given on April 12 at 6.10 pm and at the same time the FIR was registered at 7.50 pm. After this the SIT reached his Delhi residence but he was not at home. The petitioner said that he was not even given a copy of this FIR.
The copy of this FIR was not uploaded by the police on its website whereas other FIRs before and after it were uploaded on the website. On April 21, he had sought a copy of the FIR from the SSP of Rupnagar, which was received on April 22 at 3:20 pm.
Kumar Vishwas said that since the formation of the AAP government in Punjab, cases are being registered against Kejriwal's opponents continuously. This FIR is a violation of freedom of expression as well as a result of political rivalry.