A court in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday dismissed a criminal case filed against folk singer Neha Singh Rathore.
Additional Civil Judge (Sr.Div.) ACJM. Ayodhya, Ekta Singh said that the complaint is not maintainable and the complainant has no locus to file the same, according to the Live Law.
The court was dealing with the compliant moved under Section 210 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) by one Shivendra Singh, through advocate Martand Pratap Singh, claiming that Rathore had 'falsely' linked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to the recent Pahalgam terror attack to incite public unrest and gain electoral advantage.
The court, according to the Live Law, held that since the singer has been alleged to have harmed the reputation of the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister, and other BJP leaders, who are either Union or State Ministers, any defamation complaint in respect of them must be filed by a Public Prosecutor with the prior sanction of the Central or State government. Which wasn't the case in the instant complaint.
Meanwhile, Neha Singh Rathore had on Tuesday moved the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court challenging an FIR against her. The singer pleaded that she has been falsely implicated in the FIR.
The FIR was lodged against her by one Abhay Pratap Singh at Hazratganj police station. The complainant claimed that the singer used her social media accounts to make "anti-national statements" and accused her of stoking communal tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack.