Will not interfere with court order on Anurag Thakur: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has refused to interfere with the Himachal Pradesh government challenging the state high court verdict quashing a criminal case against Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) head and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Memeber of Parliament , Anurag Thakur, in connection with an encroachment case.

"We do not see any ground to interfere with the impugned order. The special leave petition is accordingly dismissed," a bench led by justice AK Goel said last week.

Hamirpur legislator Thakur was named in the case after allegations of encroaching land to construct the Dharamsala Cricket stadium surfaced.

The FIR was lodged in April 2014, which the high court quashed in August 2016 that was challenged by the state before the Supreme Court.

Thakur had moved the high court after a trial court summoned him and others in 2015. Quashing the case, the high court had held that though the roles of the accused were not specifically pointed out in the commission of the alleged offence.

It noted: “There is neither any averment in the FIR, nor in the challan/charge sheet that the office bearers of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association have entered upon the property in possession of the Education Department with intent to commit an offence or to intimidate, insult or annoy or having entered legally upon such property, unlawfully remained there with intent to intimidate, insult or annoy any such person.”

"What is stated in the first information report (FIR) and challan is that the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPDCA) has illegally encroached upon the land of the education department by raising the construction of stadium on some part and also raising boundary wall on it,” the high court had held.

HAMIRPUR LEGISLATOR ANURAG THAKUR WAS NAMED AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF ENCROACHING LAND TO CONSTRUCT THE DHARAMSALA CRICKET STADIUM SURFACED