Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 7: Jammu and Kashmir High Court issued notice to National Conference General Secretary and Member Legislative Assembly Ali Mohammad Sagar in a case on bogus voting during 2004 parliamentary elections.
The petition has been filed by Shailandra Kumar who has been made witness in the complaint filed by Ali Mohammad Sagar against Peoples Democratic Party president and Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti for alleging bogus voting by Sagar in 2004 parliamentary elections.
Kumar was sought to be present before the trial court for adducing his evidence in the complaint but he did not turn up which prompted the Court to issue bailable warrants against him.
Challenging the warrants, Kumar sought direction from the High Court that his name from the list of witness in the complaint be dropped as he has no personal, private or official knowledge of the allegations leveled in the complaint and he is neither eye witness nor circumstantial witness to the averments made in the complaint.
Today when the case was called before the Court of Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar none appeared on behalf of Sagar and Court issued notice to him to file his response to the petition by or before March 30.
Sagar in his complaint states that Mehbooba Mufti made a public statement in April 2004 about him, attributing that he was carrying mobile bogus voters from booth to booth in order to cast the votes in favour of National Conference candidate Omar Abdullah.
It is stated in the complaint that Mufti had said that “the NC leader (Sagar) was himself the Chief Commander of the bogus polling brigade of the NC and had been booked by the police on the complaint of poll officials and FIR had been filed against him and he had been let off on bail.”
Citing various statements made by Mufti against him, Sagar submits that no offence has been committed by him as no FIR stands registered so far against him in any Police Station nor any complaint has been lodged by any person against him as such false allegation has been levelled against him with a view to discredit him and his party.
Sagar admits in his complaint that he was detained by police but was never released on bail in any FIR registered with Police Station Khanyar nor was ever arrested.
Sagar in his complaint seeks initiation of criminal proceedings against Mufti for her acts and punishment for causing his defamation.
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