Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by Congress leader Pawan Khera challenging the rejection of his request for a clean chit in a case related to alleged defamatory comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s father and linking the prime minister with major industrialists.
The petition was filed against a January 5 order of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) in Lucknow that had refused to dismiss the case. Khera had challenged the decision at the revisional court, which upheld the CJM’s order.
The petition was dismissed by the Lucknow bench of the high court on December 3 and the order was uploaded on Thursday.
Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan ruled against Khera, stating that he must face trial. Government Advocate V K Singh argued that Khera’s current petition was similar to previous ones, which had already been dismissed. The case stems from comments made by Khera in February 2023, linking Modi’s father and major industrialists. FIRs were lodged on February 20 at police stations in Varanasi and Lucknow.
An additional case was registered on February 22 in Assam. Khera challenged these FIRs at the Supreme Court, which consolidated them at the Hazratganj police station for further investigation on March 20, 2023. Following this, a chargesheet was filed against him in the CJM’s court in Lucknow.
With his plea dismissed, Khera is now required to stand trial. The high court’s decision underscores the legal challenges faced by Khera. His attempts to dismiss the case have not succeeded, and he must now prepare for trial proceedings. The allegations have drawn significant attention due to their political implications and the involvement of high-profile figures.
