Minister files Rs 1 cr defamation suit against PCC chief

Raipur, November 07

Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar has filed Rs one crore-defamation suit against Chhattisgarh Congress president Bhupesh Baghel for attempting to sully his image in public. In response, Baghel clarified that he had not received any such notice from the court and would certainly reply if he would get any. The court has fixed November 18, 2015 as first hearing date of the matter.

Lawyers Sharad Mishra and Umakant Mishra have filed the suit on Chandrakar’s behalf in the court of chief judicial magistrate Ashish Pathak in Raipur. The duo accused Baghel of deliberately indulging in the act of Chandrakar’s character assassination by making derogatory remarks against him in the public.

The lawyers demanded stern action against Baghel by quoting his controversial statement published in a local Hindi daily recently. Baghel’s comments came in wake of sacking of a female member of the Institute of Rural Development Dr Manjeet Kaur Bal after she pointed fingers towards Chandrakar for misbehaving and sexually harassing trainee women officers of the department.

The lawyers have pointed that Baghel had used the derogatory language against their client while addressing in an event organised by NSUI in Rajnandgaon. In his address, hinting on Bal’s episode, Baghel had reportedly cautioned females to stay away from Chandrakar in public or private events.

Strangely, Chandrakar didn’t react when Bal sought registration of FIR against him by submitting a complaint letter to the police. Considering sensitivity of the episode, both the Raman Singh government as well as the BJP organisation decided to pose silence instead of clarifying their stance on it.

The Congress has been targeting the saffron government on women-safety issues for long. A host of issues including botched-up sterlisation and forcible hysterectomy have already put the government on defensive. Now, with the minister himself facing charges of sexual harassment by a female officer of his department, the State is more likely to face political turbulence in coming days.