‘Are you well?’ Delhi HC asks man seeking to debar Modi from Lok Sabha
The Hindu
Delhi High Court dismisses appeal against PM Modi, petitioner deemed mentally unstable, directed for medical observation.
The Delhi High Court on July 3 dismissed an appeal seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s debarment from the Lok Sabha over claims that he plotted a fatal air crash and indulged in anti-national activities, saying the person who filed the plea appeared to be suffering from mental health issues.
“Are you well? Your application is inchoate. It is going from one end of the spectrum to another,” a Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the petitioner, Captain Deepak Kumar.
On May 30, a single judge Bench had dismissed Captain Kumar’s plea against Mr. Modi saying the allegations levelled were vague, reckless and unsubstantiated. He then filed an appeal against the order.
On July 3, the High Court said it was in agreement with the single-judge Bench’s decision. It directed the Station House Officer (SHO) of the police station concerned, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and the District Judge to keep a watch on Captain Kumar.
The plea filed by Captain Kumar alleged that Mr. Modi and his accomplices attempted to destabilise national security by planning a fatal crash of an Air India flight in 2018 which he commanded as a pilot. He alleged that Mr. Modi “made a false oath or affirmation which otherwise must be made after the nomination paper has been submitted to RO [returning officer]”.
The petitioner also accused Mr. Modi of playing an active role in the sale of Air India Limited, which cancelled his pilot’s licence and ratings by fabricating his service records.
Arguing before the court, Captain Kumar alleged that Mr. Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia indulged in anti-national activities, and they be debarred from the Lok Sabha.