1 week ago
Court Orders ₹1,000 Cost Against Digvijaya Singh Defamation Case
A court in Bhopal is hearing a defamation case involving Digvijaya Singh and VD Sharma.
Sharma filed the case in 2014.
He said Singh wrongly called him a middleman in the Vyapam scam.
The court has formally charged Singh under two sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The court also ordered Singh to pay ₹1,000.
Prosecutors said Singh’s lawyer had missed several chances to question a witness.
Singh’s lawyer said the lawyer was busy arguing another case.
The court directed that the witness must be questioned at the next hearing.
A Bhopal special MPs-MLAs court imposed a ₹1,000 cost on Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
The cost was linked to a missed cross-examination of a witness, according to the public prosecutor.
The defamation case was filed in 2014 by BJP leader VD Sharma.
Sharma accused Singh of defaming him by calling him a middleman in the Vyapam scam.
The court formally framed charges against Singh under IPC Sections 499 and 500.
- Who
- Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and BJP leader VD Sharma are involved, with their lawyers and the prosecution appearing in court.
- What
- A Bhopal court imposed a ₹1,000 cost on Singh and formally framed defamation charges against him.
- Where
- The proceedings took place in the special designated MPs-MLAs court in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- When
- The court took these actions on Thursday; Sharma filed the case in 2014.
- Why
- The cost was imposed over the failure to cross-examine a witness, while the defamation case concerns Singh’s allegation that Sharma was a middleman in the Vyapam scam.
Singh’s Legal Position
Sharma’s Legal Position and Prosecution Account
Reason for the ₹1,000 cost
Singh’s Legal Position
Singh’s lawyer said the cost was not imposed for making the allegation, but to cover a witness’s expenses after the lawyer could not conduct cross-examination because he was arguing another case.
Sharma’s Legal Position and Prosecution Account
Sharma’s lawyer and the district public prosecutor said the court imposed the cost because Singh’s lawyer had repeatedly failed to appear for the witness’s cross-examination despite extensions.
Next hearing
Singh’s Legal Position
Singh’s side did not dispute that the court ordered the cross-examination to take place at the next hearing.
Sharma’s Legal Position and Prosecution Account
Sharma’s lawyer said the court instructed that the witness’s cross-examination must be ensured at the next hearing.
Key facts
- Court
- Special designated MPs-MLAs court, Bhopal
- Cost imposed
- ₹1,000
- Case filed
- 2014
- Complainant
- BJP leader VD Sharma
- Accused
- Congress leader Digvijaya Singh
- Charges
- Indian Penal Code Sections 499 and 500
- Disputed allegation
- Singh allegedly called Sharma a middleman in the Vyapam recruitment and admission scam
Quotes
District public prosecutor Rajendra Upadhyaya
District public prosecutor officer
“Despite repeated extension of dates for cross‑examination of witness, Singh’s lawyer did not appear in court for cross‑examination, so today, the court slapped cost of Rs 1,000 at Singh in the defamation case filed by Sharma.”
freepressjournal.in
“The cost is not for levelling allegations. This cost is just cost of expenses of witness who could not cross examined as lawyer of Singh was busy in arguing another case in another court.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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