Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 17: A local court here today issued bailable warrant against the then Deputy Commissioner Srinagar in a defamation suit filed by General Secretary National Conference (NC) against People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and Member Parliament Mehbooba Mufti.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar presided by Masarat Shaheen issued bailable warrant against the then DC Srinagar, Shalinder Kumar, for not appearing before the court in terms of previous as he was supposed to adduce his evidence in the case.
Court on last date had issued direct summons to Kumar for information to be present before the court as prosecution witness in the case for recording the statement. “Warrant be executed by DIG Central”, court order reads.
The prosecution witnesses include Shrief-u-Din, then additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Assistant Returning Officer, Khawja Bashir, former Deputy Commissioner Budgam and Returning Officer Srinagar Parliamentary constituency, Irshad Ahmad, then Magistrate on duty and Advocate Shabir Ahmad.
Among them, statements of Sharief-u-Din, Khawja Bashir and Irshad Ahmad have already been recorded by the court. Besides, Sagar’s witnesses in the case are editors of a few local English and Urdu dailies.
Sagar, who was chief polling agent of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, had filed a defamation suit against the PDP president, who had accused him of rigging elections by indulging in booth capturing in Srinagar.
Sagar has alleged that Mehbooba had damaged his image by defamatory statements that he (Sagar) was carrying bogus voters from booth to booth in favour of Omar Abdullah during the Parliamentary elections and a case ( FIR no. 22) stands registered in this regard in Police Station Khanyar.
Sagar also alleged that Mehbooba defamed him publically that he was responsible for burning Nawakadal bridge in 1986.
At one point of time, Mehbooba had approached the High Court, seeking dismissal of the suit. However, the court dismissed the PDP chief’s petition and directed the trial court to go ahead with the proceedings.
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