Punjab and Haryana HC grants interim protection to Bajwa over grenades' comment

Chandigarh, April 16 (IANS) The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in an interim order, on Wednesday asked the Punjab government not to take "coercive" action against Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa till April 22.

The high court also sought the government’s response on Congress legislator Bajwa’s plea to quash the first information report (FIR) against him for spreading misleading information that endangers the country's sovereignty and unity.

A vacation bench of Justice Deepak Gupta, while issuing a notice returnable by April 22, said "no coercive" action shall be taken against the petitioner until the next date of hearing.

Bajwa approached the High Court on Tuesday, seeking the quashing of the FIR. He purportedly told a news channel that "50 bombs had been sneaked into the state, out of which 18 had exploded and 32 more are still there".

As per the petition, Bajwa was asked on a TV show aired on April 13 about the recent deterioration in the law and order situation in Punjab, which has resulted in bomb blasts at various locations over the past six months, including one at the house of a BJP leader and former Cabinet Minister.

In response to the question, Bajwa, while giving details of the incidents, claimed that the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government seems to be sleeping over intelligence, as they could not trace out the remaining grenades, which are reported to have been smuggled into India.

The plea sought quashing of the FIR as well as all the subsequent proceedings arising out of it.

Bajwa has been booked by the Cyber Crime Police Station in Mohali under Sections 197 (1) (d) and 353 (2), pertaining to disseminating false information that could jeopardise national sovereignty and unity, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Chief Minister Mann on Monday warned the leaders of opposition parties to refrain from indulging in politics of threat and terror, as people will never tolerate their divisive and mischievous attitude. He had said a senior leader of the Congress had given a baseless and irrational statement about the bombs. He had said this illogical statement was solely aimed at terrorising the people and creating panic amongst them.

Mann had said this is intolerable, unwarranted and undesirable as the people of the state will never forgive such leaders. The Chief Minister had said neither the state nor central agencies have any input in this regard, but the Congress leader had made this false and irrelevant statement.

--IANS

vg/vd