The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday has dismissed a public interest litigation that sought to compel senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Govind Singh to hand over an alleged CD related to the infamous honeytrap scandal.
The petition was thrown out due to lack of credible evidence and reliance solely on media reports.
No Basis Beyond News Reports
The division bench, comprising Justices Vivek Rusia and Binod Kumar Dwivedi, ruled that the plea lacked substantive grounds, stating that the petitioner—Indore-based lawyer Bhupendra Singh Kushwaha—had no personal knowledge of the CD’s existence or possession by the two leaders.
“So far as the statement of these two political persons is concerned, the petitioner came to know about the statement from the news published in the newspaper. Petitioner has no personal knowledge about the CD being in their possession,” the court observed.
The bench further emphasized that courts cannot take cognizance of newspaper articles without independent proof. “It is a settled law that the court cannot take cognizance of news published in the newspaper without there being any substantive proof. Petitioner has also not filed any affidavit that the CD is in their possession,” it said.
Allegations Tied To Political Statements
The petition was filed in 2023, citing alleged public claims made by Kamal Nath and Govind Singh suggesting they had access to a controversial CD linked to the 2019 honeytrap case. The petitioner argued that these leaders should be directed to hand over the material to the police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) for a fair and transparent investigation.
Background
The honeytrap case surfaced in September 2019, when police arrested five women and their driver in Bhopal and Indore. According to the investigation, the accused lured powerful men, including politicians and bureaucrats, into compromising situations using women allegedly trafficked into the state.
Hidden cameras were used to secretly record videos of intimate encounters, which were later used to extort money and favors from the victims. The scandal sparked massive political and public outrage, leading to the formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe deeper into the network.
In December 2019, a chargesheet was filed outlining how the group operated and used blackmail as a weapon against influential individuals.
Court Cites Ongoing Trial
While rejecting the PIL, the High Court pointed out that a chargesheet had already been filed, and a trial is ongoing. It added that the petitioner’s attempt to revive the issue based on speculative claims had no merit in the eyes of the law.
With no affidavit or direct evidence submitted to establish that Kamal Nath or Govind Singh possessed the alleged CD, the court found no reason to intervene. It reaffirmed the principle that mere political statements or news reports are insufficient to trigger judicial action without supporting documentation.
Final Word
The High Court’s decision reinforces the need for factual, verified information in public interest cases. It also sends a clear message that political controversies—especially those based on media speculation—must be backed by concrete evidence before courts can be called to act.
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