HP drops Karmapa’s name from chargesheet in currency case

Karmapa (26) was charged under section 120-B for conspiracy along with nine others who were charged under different sections of IPC including 419 (punishment for cheating by personation),420 (cheating) and 467 (forgery of valuable security),in the challan filed by police in a Una court in December 2011. The court had also summoned Karmapa on March 6 but he failed to appear as he was at Bodh Gaya (Bihar) for a religious discourse session.

State Principal Secretary (Home and Vigilance) P C Dhiman said: “It is true that the government has passed the orders advising the Una district magistrate (deputy commissioner) to get an application filed in court seeking directions to drop Karmapa’s name from the chargesheet. The trial against all other accused will continue as the state government has invoked its powers under Section 321 (withdrawal of prosecution) of CrPC only for the Karmapa following advise from the local DC.”

He added: “Opinion of the law department has also been taken,which had viewed the evidence against Karmapa as weak and legally untenable. Now,a communication has been sent to the DC to proceed in the matter.”

The FIR was registered on January 26 last year,resulting in the arrest of a Dharamshala-based property dealer and a close aide of Karmapa for their alleged involvement in an illegal land deal.

The raids were made following seizure of Rs 1 crore from a jeep by Una police on the interstate border. During investigations,it was revealed that the money was meant for purchase of land for the Karmapa trust.

Currency belonging to 26 countries was seized from the monastery,which the Karmapa office claimed had come from offerings and donations received by the trust from devotes across world. At the intervention of the central government,the Karmapa was given a clean chit in the matter but the police went ahead and named him in its chargesheet.

Soon after the chargesheet was filed in the court,the Karmapa moved an application through the Una district magistrate,urging the government to drop his name from the chargesheet.

He maintained that he was only head of the Gyuto Tantric University and Monastery and had nothing to do with its day-to-day affairs and financial transactions.

The Karmapa had fled from China in 1999 and took shelter in Dharamshala. He is the Tibetans’ third most important figure and is regarded as a possible successor to the Dalai Lama.