Ropar, Feb 14: A local court today issued summons to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to appear before it on February 22 in a defamation case filed by a Congress member in connection with his alleged derogatory comments about Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Chief Judicial Magistrate Ravinder Singh after going through the petition filed by Bal Bhusyhan Sharma, said he found that the complainant, being a member of the organisation, has locus standi to file the complaint. From the facts and evidence on the record, the court found that a ground for summoning the accused to face trial under the relevant section of Indian Penal Code existed. The complainant charged Dhumal with having made false allegations in his personal capacity to lower the reputation of Congress which is now headed by Amarinder Singh in Punjab. The allegations, according to Sharma, were carried by a daily published from Jalandhar and Ambala on February 7 adding that the derogatory statements had been issued with “malafide intentions.”

Bureau Report