DEV ASHISH BHATTACHARYA Vs. RACHNA GUPTA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner (respondent before the trial court) has filed this petition under Sec. 482 Cr.P.C. seeking quashing of the impugned summoning order dtd. 16/7/2021, whereby the learned Trial Court has come to the conclusion from the material on record that there exist sufficient grounds to proceed against the present petitioner for commission of offences punishable under Ss. 499 and 500 of IPC and all consequential proceedings in pursuance thereto.

(2.) From a perusal of the complaint filed before the trial court, it is revealed that the present respondent(complainant before the trial court) is stated to be a highly qualified, renowned journalist, writer, author, having a vast experience of about two decades. At the time of filing of the complaint, the respondent was holding the post of a member of the H.P. Public Service Commission. The aforesaid appointment is stated to have been made in January 2018.

(3.) The prime focus of the complaint filed by the respondent is on letter dtd. 7/8/2019 written by the present petitioner alleged to have been received in the Secretariat of his Excellency the Governor on 20/9/2019. In the letter dtd. 7/8/2019, the allegations made against the present respondent is that the present respondent had concealed information regarding facing a criminal case in the Court of the learned Judicial Magistrate First Class, Jogindernagar, District Mandi, H.P. at the time of the respondent being appointed as a member of the H.P. Public Service Commission.