Criminal defamation case against Army Chief transferred again

The defamation case against Army Chief General V K Singh was today transferred to a different court after the one, hearing it earlier, refused to proceed with it due to the loss of confidence of petitioner and former Lt Gen Tejinder Singh's counsel in it.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Amit Bansal transferred the case to a new court of Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja for further proceedings in the matter and directed Tejinder Singh to appear before it tomorrow.

The case was referred back to the ACMM by Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar who had earlier reserved his order on Tejinder Singh's complaint for summoning the Army chief and four other Army officials as accused in the defamation case.

"Case file has been received vide order dated May 5 by Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar requesting that he does not wish to proceed with the trial of the case and be transferred elsewhere.

"The case is withdrawn from the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar and is transferred to the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja for further proceedings as per law," ACMM Bansal said.

Besides the Army chief, Tejinder Singh has named Vice Chief of Army Staff S K Singh, Lt Gen B S Thakur (DG MI), Major General S L Narshiman (Additional Director General of Public Information) and Lt Col Hitten Sawhney, accusing them of misusing their official positions, power and authority to level false charges against him.

Magistrate Kumar had transferred the case to ACMM Bansal saying counsel Anil Kumar Aggarwal, appearing for Tejinder Singh, has "lost confidence over the courts of law and legal procedure" and the lawyer had made an "apparent attempt" to "pressurise" the court.