Lucknow, Mar 7: Coming down hard on people filing frivolous petitions, the Allahabad High Court today slapped a penalty of Rs 50 lakh on a a former SP MLA, who alleged that Rahul Gandhi had kept in captivity a 22-year-old girl and her parents, which later turned out to be false
The Lucknow bench of the High Court also ordered a CBI probe against former legislator from Madhya Pradesh Kishore Samrite while dismissing his habeas corpus petition against the AICC general secretary.
The order was passed by a division bench of justices Umanath Singh and Satish Chandra after the girl, Sukanya, who according to the petitioner was held captive by Rahul, denied any such incident when she was produced in court.
The court said that of the the Rs.50 lakh cost, an amount Rs 25 lakh shall be paid to Kirti and Rs 20 lakh to Rahul and it shall be deposited within a period of one month.
Appreciating the DGP Karamveer Singh for producing the alleged detenues within the time frame, the court directed that he should be paid Rs 5 lakh as reward.
The court also ordered action against a website displaying news items relating to the Sukanya alleged abduction.
Samrite had alleged that Sukanya and her parents were held captive by Rahul and sought directions to the police for producing them in court.
A similar petition was filed by Gajendra Pal Singh, who claimed to be a relative of Sukanya, after which the court ordered the DGP to produce the girl and her parents before it.
As per the court order issued on Friday last, Director General of Police Karamveer Singh today produced the girl and her parents before the court.
The girl told the court that her actual name is Kirti Singh and that Balram Singh and Sushila are her parents and their identification was done by incharge of Amethi police station.
Kriti told the court that neither she nor her parents were under illegal detention of any person nor has she any information regarding the news item being displayed by the website.
On the basis of deposition made by Kirti, the court imposed the pnalty of Rs 50 lakh on the petitioner and taking suo moto cognisance of an effort to defame a high profile personality, ordered a CBI probe.
"The writ petition was filed on the instructions of Kishor Samrite which contained wild allegations/insinuation against Rahul Gandhi and questions the virture and modesty of a young girl of 22 years Kirti Singh. We dismiss this petition with a cost of Rs 50 lakh," the bench ordered.
"We also direct the Director, CBI, to register case against Samrite, the website referred to in the petition and all other persons found involved in the plot," the bench said.
It said that till the investigation continues and the website in question was not cleared by the CBI, their display in India shall remain banned.
It asked the CBI chief to prepare a list of such other websites which are involved in scandalous information about the functionaries holding high public offices and submit a report on the next date of hearing.
The bench disposed of the another writ petition filed by Gajendra Pal Singh partly and fixed April 11 as the next date of hearing.
"It shall remain pending in respect of notice issued to the Registrar General, Allahabad High Court and for the submission of the report by the CBI as directed," it said. PTI
