Supreme Court Stays Criminal Proceedings Against Shooter Vartika Singh Who Had Accused Union Minister Smriti Irani Of Corruption

The Supreme Court recently stayed the proceedings in a criminal case against international shooter Vartika Singh who had filed a complaint against Union Minister Smriti Irani and others for allegedly demanding bribe to appoint her as a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW). The bench of Justices BR Gavai and PS Narasimha stayed Allahabad High Court's order dated May 11 by which the High Court had vacated the relief which it had granted to Singh on April 29, 2022. While issuing notice, the bench in their order said, "Issue notice. By way of ad interim order, the impugned order of the High Court is stayed. Meaning thereby, that the order dated 29.04.2022 shall stand restored until further orders." The criminal case against Singh arose out of an FIR registered at Amethi District in UP for alleged circulation of forged documents through social media against the Union Minister. While considering Singh's plea to quash the chargesheet filed in the case, the High Court had on April 29, 2022 stayed the proceedings. However, on May 11, the High Court vacated the stay. Before the High Court, Singh had argued that the FIR in the instant case was a recapitulation of two earlier FIRs registered over similar allegations of forging documents to malign the reputation of Smriti Irani. Singh in the petition filed by AOR Divyesh Pratap Singh and Advocate Vikram Pratap Singh in the Top Court had submitted that no application seeking vacation of stay was filed and no notice was issued to her regarding the same. Terming the impugned orders as against the principles of natural justice, it was further stated in the petition that Singh had neither committed any default or misused the interim protection granted in her favour, nor were the parties heard at the time of vacating the stay order. "It is submitted that as per High Court Rules, whenever a plea with respect to vacation of stay is raised, an application setting out grounds for vacation of stay shall be moved, a copy thereof shall be duly served upon the person in whose favour such order granting stay has been passed. The interim protection granted in favour of the Petitioner was vacated by the impugned order without there being any application as mentioned hereinbefore," the plea stated. The Special MP/MLA Court in Sitapur in UP had in 2021 dismissed Vartika Singh's complaint against Smriti Irani. Last week, the Allahabad High Court dismissed Singh's revision petition filed challenging the dismissal of her complaint against Irani.Case Title: Vartika Singh v State of UP Click Here To Read/Download Order

Supreme Court Stays Criminal Proceedings Against Shooter Vartika Singh Who Had Accused Union Minister Smriti Irani Of Corruption

Shruti Kakkar

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