Supreme Court Stays Criminal Proceedings Against Salman Khurshid for Allegedly Trespassing Into DPS Society’s Office

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the criminal proceedings against Congress leader and Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid for allegedly trespassing into the office of the Delhi Public School Society in Delhi. A Division Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Vikram Nath ordered, “Leave granted. It is clarified that the stay of the proceedings is only in the case pertaining to the present petition.”In 2015, the society, in a first information report lodged at Delhi’s Amar Colony Police Station against Khurshid and another accused, Sharda Nayak, had accused the duo of barging into their premises and forcibly occupying the office of the chairman. According to official records, Nayak then announced herself as the society’s chairperson, in the presence of the former external affairs minister and alumnus of Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. This incident allegedly took place when the top officials of the society were locked in a heated dispute over the leadership of the organisation. This special leave petition was preferred against a November 2019 order of the Delhi High Court dismissing Khurshid’s plea for quashing of summons in the case. In December of the same year, a three-Judge Bench comprising former Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, B.R. Gavai, and Surya Kant issued notice to the Delhi government and the police, while granting the Congress leader protection against any coercive action. The top court had also issued a notice for exploring the possibility of mediation between Khurshid and the Delhi Public School Society. On Monday too, Justice Gavai recommended the route of mediation to resolve the dispute. Senior Advocate Senior Luthra, appearing on behalf of Khurshid, said, “We are open to sitting with them. It is ideal if an elegant solution can be found on the basis of mediation.” This is not the first time that Khurshid, a former head boy of the Delhi Public School, Mathura Road and a former president of the DPS Society, ran into trouble with the not-for-profit organisation that controls over 200 schools. In 2008, despite being a member since 1984 and the society’s president between 1993 and 2004, Khurshid was expelled over differences regarding its functioning and over the collection of license and signing fees, which, according to the former minister, amounted to ‘commercialisation of education’. Case Title Salman Khurshid v. State NCT of Delhi & Ors. [SLP (Crl) No. 11287/2019]Click Here To Read/Download Order

Supreme Court Stays Criminal Proceedings Against Salman Khurshid for Allegedly Trespassing Into DPS Society’s Office

Awstika Das

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