Arrest warrants against Nar Bahadur Bhandari and other five Congress men

Gangtok , Sikkim : The court of the civil judge here has issued bailable arrest warrants against Sikkim Congress president Nar Bahadur Bhandari and five others in a defamation suit filed by B.B. Gurung, the adviser to chief minister Pawan Chamling.

Gooroong had charged Bhandari and the editorial team of the Congress periodical Sandesh for defaming him and tarnishing his image in an article that appeared in it in November last year.

Titled Sikkim Ma Burmaloot, the article had letters purportedly written by Gooroong to former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi asking them to withdraw the special rights of the Sikkimese people and the “son of the soil” policy.

Gooroong had claimed that the letters were forged and filed a defamation suit. Today, he was present in court along with two witnesses: former Lok Sabha member from Sikkim and presently the general secretary (publicity) of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front Bhim Dahal and member of the Sikkim planning commission Y.B. Thapa.

In what has been touted as a rare and swift order never seen in the state before, the civil-judge-cum-magistrate Prajwal Khatiwa examined the complainant and the two witnesses and took cognisance of the offence. The next date of hearing has been fixed for August 31 and the arrests can be made any day before that.

Besides Bhandari, the others who have been booked under Sections 500 (for defamation) and 469 (forgery for defaming) of the IPC are the chief editor of the Congress periodical Santosh Bardewa, Purna Kumari Rai, Dil Kumari Chhettri, Anil Lachenpa, and J.B. Darnal.

Speaking to The Telegraph later Gooroong said the judge taking cognisance of his petition was a major victory and. “The letters were concocted and forged and the truth is now coming out.”

Source: The Telegraph