Punjab-Haryana HC quash FIR against Kumar Vishwas and BJP’S Tajinder Bagga; Congress welcomes decision

Chandigarh [India], October 12 (ANI): The Congress Party on Wednesday welcomed today’s decision of Punjab and Haryana High Court to quash two different FIRs registered against BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas.
The Rupnagar Police had booked Vishwas in Punjab over his alleged inflammatory statements against AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and Bagga was booked on charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation at Mohali in April.
Hearing a petition filed by Kumar Vishwas, the Punjab-Haryana High Court has ordered the High Court to quash the case registered against him in Punjab’s Rupnagar.
In his petition, Vishwas had submitted that the case registered against him was sheer abuse of the process of law and apparently politically motivated.
“The manner in which the investigating agency is proceeding, it is apparent that it is trying to curtail the liberty of the petitioner by adopting a procedure unknown to law,” he had submitted.
Punjab Congress President ASR Warring said that the party welcomes the cancellation of the FIR against Kumar Vishwas and Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
“AAP government has registered similar vendetta FIRs against Punjab Congress leaders also. Those cases will also fall flat in the court of law,” Warring further said.
In a tweet, BJP leader Bagga said, “Satyamev Jayate Big slap on @ArvindKejriwal Face. Punjab High court Quashed FIR against Me & Me & @DrKumarVishwas.”
A case was registered against Kumar Vishwas under sections 153, 153A, 505, 505 (2), 116 along with sections 143, 147, 323 (assault), 341, 120-B (criminal conspiracy). Apart from Vishwas, a case was also registered against Congress leader Alka Lamba. Lamba has been accused of supporting the remarks made by Vishwas.
In the run-up to the February 20 Punjab state assembly elections, Kumar Vishwas had alleged that AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had connections with separatists in Punjab, and those having sympathy with separatists used to come to his house for meetings.
Punjab Police on April 12 filed an FIR against Vishwas in Rupnagar town for his ‘inflammatory statements’ against Kejriwal. Soon after the Punjab police registered a case against Kumar and Congress leader Alka Lamba, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) had demanded immediate cancellation of the FIR registered against Congress leader Alka Lamba and Kumar Vishwas, stating that it had only been registered to settle the personal agenda as they were critical of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Earlier in May, Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed Kumar’s arrest in the case. (ANI)