HC stays defamation proceedings against Haryana ADGP Virk

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed defamation proceedings initiated on complaint of a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) against Haryana additional director general of police (ADGP) Navdeep Singh Virk.

The proceedings have been initiated by a Panipat court acting on the complaint of DSP Naresh Kumar Ahlawat. The HC bench of justice Lalit Batra acted on the plea from Virk and sought response from Ahlawat and the state government by October 29.

He had told the court that a judicial magistrate court, Panipat, acted on complaint of Ahlawat filed in October 2018 alleging defamation and summons had been issued to him on January 14, 2020.

As per the court notice, he has been summoned to face trial for the commission of offence under the Sections of defamation.

The complaint was made on the basis of a news report on Virk’s communication of September 11, 2018, as additional director general of police, Karnal division, to the state DGP in which transfer and departmental proceedings against Ahlawat were recommended, his lawyer Sartej Narula had told court, adding that the report was in the public interest and cannot be termed as defamatory.

The communication reportedly talked about Ahlawat allegedly influencing a probe in a cheating case and biased probe in a molestation case among others, when he was posted as DSP Panipat. Subsequently, Ahlawat was transferred out of Panipat.