The Rajasthan High Court has stayed a first information report registered against Bharatiya Janata Party president J.P. Nadda in connection with a social media post made by the party’s IT department in-charge Amit Malviya allegedly disparaging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in Bhilwara.
The FIR was registered in Hanumangarh on the complaint of a Congress worker, Manoj Kumar Saini, who had taken exception to a tweet by Mr. Malviya. The tweet said: “Sonia Gandhi claims Bhilwara tested 22 lakh people due to Rahul’s warning! Wherever there is Rahul [Gandhi], can exaggeration and maths blunder be behind?”
‘No role in tweet’
Mr. Nadda had filed a criminal miscellaneous petition in the High Court, seeking directions for quashing of the FIR with the contention that he had no role in Mr. Malviya’s tweet and he had falsely been accused of controlling the office of the IT department in-charge.
Mr. Nadda’s counsel told the court that the tweet had been made from the private account of Mr. Malviya and not from the official handle of the organisation headed by his client.
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Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati at the High Court’s principal seat in Jodhpur on Tuesday observed that it had been prima facie found that the petitioner had no role in tweeting the information in question and the tweet was made by Mr. Malviya. “No role at this stage seems to be made out against the petitioner,” the court said.
The court directed that the effect and operation of the FIR, along with the entire proceedings pursuant thereto in respect of Mr. Nadda, shall remain stayed. The court also issued notices to the State government and complainant Mr. Saini, asking them to file their replies within six weeks.
