SC relief for Anurag Thakur, appeal of Himachal Pradesh govt dismissed

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by the Himachal Pradesh government challenging the high court order quashing a criminal case against BJP MP Anurag Thakur and others.

A bench comprising Justices A K Goel and U U Lalit declined to interfere with the Shimla High Court’s May 30 last year order on the case lodged in Dharamshala.

The counsel appearing for the state contended before the apex court that the high court had erred in quashing the case as Thakur, along with several others, had disrupted the work of public servants by forcibly entering into the office of the Superintendent of Police in 2013.

The counsel argued that Thakur, along with 200-250 persons, had disrupted the work of government officials by raising slogans and bursting crackers and “these persons cannot go away lightly after doing this”.

The high court, in its order, had held that the trial court, which had summoned Thakur and others as accused, had no jurisdiction in the case as there was no complaint in writing before it by the “public servant concerned or his superior”.

The high court’s order had come on an appeal by Thakur and others seeking quashing of the complaint along with summoning order and all other consequential proceedings.