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Journalism of Courage
SHIMLA, March 6: The high court today asked Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and state chief secretary to file by Monday a reply to an affidavit in a habeas corpus petition seeking production in court, of the newly-elected Independent MLA Ramesh Chand.
A bench comprising Chief Justice M N Rao and Justice L H Panta gave these directions, while declining to issue directions to the police to produce the MLA at this stage.
The petitioner Kamal Kishore Sharma, alleged that Ramesh Chand was kidnapped and illegally detained since last night in the private residence of the chief minister.
The court refrained from issuing immediate directions for production of the alleged detenue after its attention was drawn to a radio news bulletin saying that the MLA had “consultations” with the governor this morning.
Narrating the circumstances relating to the alleged detention, the petitioner said that both he and the MLA were intercepted by a police party and some Congress leaders at Gorha Chowk near here last night while on their way to Shimla.
They were attacked and their jeep smashed and they were forcibly taken to the CM’s private residence. The petitioner, however, managed to escape in the early hours today while the MLA was still there, he alleged. The allegation was firmly denied by the counsel for the Chief Minister.
According to the petitioner, the police party which attacked them included DSP Negi and Additional SP Baljit Thakur. The former health minister Ram Lal Thakur and MLAs Harsh Mahajan, Chander Kumar and G S Bali were also present and played an active apart in the alleged kidnapping.
