Defamation Case: Allahabad HC Dismisses Congress Leader Pawan Khera’s Plea

Pawan Khera

The Allahabad High Court has recently rejected Congress leader Pawan Khera’s plea challenging the denial of his request for a clean chit in a defamation case.

The case pertains to Khera’s alleged derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s father and his comments linking the Prime Minister to prominent industrialists.

Khera had initially sought relief against a January 5 order by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Lucknow, which refused to dismiss the charges against him.

After the revisional court upheld the CJM’s decision, Khera approached the Lucknow bench of the High Court, which dismissed his petition on December 3. The judgment, delivered by Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan, was made public on Thursday.

Justice Chauhan emphasized that Khera must face trial, effectively clearing the way for legal proceedings to continue. During the hearing, Government Advocate V.K. Singh argued against Khera’s petition, pointing out that similar pleas by the Congress leader had already been dismissed.

The advocate highlighted that the latest petition largely repeated the same grounds and prayers as the earlier ones.

The case stems from comments made by Khera in February 2023, which were deemed defamatory and offensive toward Modi’s father. FIRs were subsequently lodged on February 20, 2023, at the Cantonment police station in Varanasi and the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow.

A third case was registered in Assam on February 22, 2023.

Khera sought relief from the Supreme Court, which consolidated all FIRs and transferred the investigation to the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on March 20, 2023. Following the investigation, a chargesheet was filed against him in the CJM’s court.

Court’s dismissal of Khera’s plea means that he will now face trial. This legal setback adds to the challenges faced by the Congress leader as he battles accusations of defamation in connection with his remarks.