BJP complains, police file FIR against Congman Girish, media also ‘indicted’
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 17 March 2017 23:47 IST
Panaji police have filed FIR against All India Congress Committee Secretary Girish Chodankar for defaming BJP with an allegation of a deal of Rs 1000 crore to form a coalition government.
While filing the FIR based on a complaint filed by Goa BJP President Vinay Tendulkar, the media has also been indicted for printing the matter of the press conference addressed by Chodankar.
The police complaint also mentions Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi making a similar statement in Delhi, but the FIR is not filed against Gandhi.
The Panaji police has accordingly filed the FIR as a non-cognisable offence.
Chodankar had made an allegation that Rs 1000 crore have exchanged hands in winning over the allies with whom the 13-member BJP formed the coalition government led by Manohar Parrikar.
He had also alleged that the huge amount of money had come from the lobbies of Goa’s casinos and Delhi business world.
The police complaint has stated that this false allegation had defamed the reputed party at national level.
Tendulkar stated in a complaint that the FIR be lodged against Chodankar under section 500 and 501 of Indian Penal Code.
While section 500 deals with a person who defames, section 501 deals with those print the defamatory matter, with a punishment for two years each.
Following are the sections mentioned in the IPC:
- Punishment for defamation.—Whoever defames another shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
- Printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory.—Whoever prints or engraves any matter, knowing or having good reason to believe that such matter is defamatory of any person, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
