‘Congress Covid toolkit’: Chhattisgarh high court quashes FIR against Raman Singh, Sambit Patra
RAIPUR: In a relief to the former chief minister Raman Singh and BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra, the Chhattisgarh high court on Wednesday quashed an FIR lodged against both in the ‘Congress Covid Toolkit’ case.
The high court observed that in instant cases, the posting or tweeting of a message usually is more in the form of political gossip. “From the perusal of the FIR, it can be safely held that no offence whatsoever is made out against the petitioners (Raman Singh and Sambit Patra). The court cannot permit the same to be proceeded with, as the complainant has tried to rope the petitioners, a union minister and other functionaries of the BJP on a petty political ideological tussle”, stated the court order and quashed the FIR registered at the civil lines police station Raipur, further halting all the consequential proceedings, if any.
Singh asserted that after the court order, one can clearly understand how the party (Congress) in power misuses the authority to suppress the opposition through a conspiracy. Raipur police in May 2021 had registered an FIR against Raman Singh and Sambit Patra for allegedly propagating a “fake, concocted letter” on a fabricated Congress Covid toolkit from their Twitter handle.
“The Congress had prepared a document titled ‘Cornering Narendra Modi & BJP on Covid mismanagement’ with instructions to embarrass and tarnish the image of the Centre and the BJP. This document was popularly cited as a Congress Toolkit. The petitioners were much distressed owing to the Congress then tried to mislead the people of the country that was facing the unprecedented pandemic challenge”, argued the counsel of the petitioners.
The FIR was registered after the state Youth Congress and the students’ wing NSUI separately lodged written complaints at Raipur police station.
The FIR was lodged under IPC Sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (1b,c) (publishing or circulating statements or rumours conducing to public mischief), 469 (commits forgery) and 188 (for flouting orders under Epidemic Diseases Act 1897).
The opposition BJP had then strongly reacted calling the move as “politically disgusting”. The police then interrogated the ex-CM at his residence in Raipur while Patra didn’t appear for questioning in the toolkit case before the Chhattisgarh police and sought more time.