Jharkhand HC Quashes FIR against Ex-Deoghar DC Manjunath Bhajantri

The Jharkhand High Court has quashed an FIR lodged against former Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri. Bhajantri faced prosecution following the registration of an FIR against him at the Kunda police station in Deoghar, filed by Godda MP Nishikant Dubey.

Dubey had initially lodged a zero FIR against Bhajantri in Delhi on August 31, 2022, alleging sedition and violation of the Official Secrets Act. This FIR was subsequently transferred to the Kunda police station in Deoghar.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, after hearing the case, quashed the FIR and the criminal proceedings against Bhajantri.

The case stemmed from an incident in August 2022, where Bhajantri had filed an FIR at the Kunda police station in Deoghar against Dubey, along with parliamentarian Manoj Tiwari and several others, including Dubey’s two sons, Kanishkant Dubey and Mahikant Dubey. Bhajantri accused all nine individuals of violating safety standards by entering the ATC room at Deoghar airport and forcibly obtaining clearance for take-off.

This FIR sparked a spat on Twitter between Dubey and Bhajantri, who had previously clashed on several occasions. The FIR alleged that clearance was forcibly obtained from the ATC despite the absence of night take-off or landing facilities at the airport, which had been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi just a month earlier.

All nine individuals were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, as well as the Aircraft Act, according to officials.

After reaching Delhi, Dubey lodged a zero FIR against Bhajantri, which Bhajantri subsequently challenged in the high court. The high court had earlier issued a notice to Dubey, requiring him to appear and present his arguments in the case. It also ordered that no coercive action be taken against Bhajantri while the case was pending before the bench.