Charges framed against Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh in defamation case

SHIMLA: Charges were framed by court in Una against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in a defamation case filed against by former chairman of Subordinate Services Selection Board, S.M. Katwal.

Official sources said Judicial Magistrate Ajay Kumar framed the charges and listed the matter and fixed the next hearing on October 12.

Justice D C Chowdhary of the Himachal Pradesh High Court had on March 21 this year remanded the criminal defemation case to the lower court for retrial.

Hearing the petitions of Katwal, Justice D.C. Chaudhary had directed the judicial magistrate in Una for retrial.

Katwal had challenged the judgment of the Sessions Court which had quashed the the order of the judicial magistrate to issue summons to Virbhadra Singh in two cases of alleged defamation.

Katwal, who was chairman of the Board from 2000-03, had filed the cases alleging he was defamed by the speeches made by Virbhadra Singh at public meetings.

The high court observed that the provisional court has a limited jurisdiction to see if there is a legal bar against continuance of criminal proceedings or framing of charges.