SANJAY SINGH Vs. BIKRAM SINGH MAJITHIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Parties being common and issues inter-linked, these two petitions filed under Section 482 Cr.P.C. are amenable to conjoined disposal.

(2.) The petitioner in both these cases is one Sanjay Singh. He was a member of the Political Affairs Committee of Aam Admi Party and was in charge of its affairs in the State of Punjab at the relevant point of time. The respondent in these cases is one Bikram Singh Majithia. He was a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly and was serving as the Revenue Minister of the State of Punjab at that point of time.

(3.) Complaint No. 69 dated 07.01.2016 was filed by the respondent under Section 499 IPC read with Sections 500, 501, 502 and 120-B IPC. Therein, he alleged that on 05.09.2015, the petitioner, being Accused No.1, had made scurrilous and defamatory statements against him at a rally at Moga in the State of Punjab, which were published in the Hindustan Times newspaper on 06.09.2015 by Accused Nos. 2, 3 and 4, the Editor, the Editor-in-Chief and a Reporter of the said newspaper. Again, on 27.12.2015, at a public rally at Fatehgarh Sahib in the State of Punjab, the petitioner made similar statements about him and they were published in newspapers on 28.12.2015. The import of these statements was that he was involved in drug trafficking.