A special court in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, has passed an order for the registration of a criminal defamation case against Madhya Pradesh BJP president VD Sharma, former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and ex-minister Bhupendra Singh. This action follows a petition filed by Congress’ Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Vishveshwari Mishra, who handles cases related to Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), has directed the registration of the defamation suit after prima facie finding sufficient evidence for trial, as informed by the petitioner’s counsel HS Chhabra.
On April 29, 2023, Tankha provided his preliminary statement in the court as part of the criminal defamation case. Tankha, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, alleged that the BJP leaders damaged his reputation by incorrectly asserting his involvement in a Supreme Court case related to the Other Backward Class (OBC) quota in Panchayat elections in 2021.
In his statement, Tankha, the former MP advocate general, affirmed that he had not participated in any court proceedings concerning OBC reservation, nor had he filed any petition on the issue. Tankha has also initiated a civil defamation suit amounting to Rs 10 crore against Sharma, Chouhan, and Singh.
