A Delhi court has  refused to accept the plea of Lt. Gen. (retd) Tejinder Singh seeking an end to an inquiry and pronouncement of its order on issuing summons to Army chief Gen. V.K. Singh in a defamation case.
Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja said that summons had already been issued to the defence ministry to submit a file regarding a press release quoting the army chief as saying that the officer had allegedly offered him a bribe.
“In my view, until the inquiry contemplated on May 18 is brought to its logical end by this court, it would be an improper exercise of judicial discretion to adjudicate upon the aspects of summoning the respondents,” said the court.
The court would next hear the case June 6.
The retired army officer has requested the court to summon and initiate proceedings against the army chief and others for allegedly making libellous statement against him in the media and accusing him of bribery.
The court was hearing a plea filed by the retired army officer, who requested the court to summon and initiate proceedings against the army chief and others for allegedly making libellous statement against him in the media and accusing him of bribery.
The court, in its last hearing, asked the defence ministry to submit a file regarding a press release in which Gen. V.K. Singh had revealed that Lt. Gen. (retd) Tejinder Singh had offered him a bribe.
The case was transferred to Magistrate Thareja by a higher court after another magistrate earlier this month decided not to hear the case.
Alleging that the officers misused their official position, power and authority to level false charges against him, Tejinder Singh also named Army Vice Chief Lt. Gen. S.K. Singh, Director General Military Intelligence Lt. Gen. B.S. Thakur, Additional Director General Public Information Major Gen. S.L. Narsimhan and Directorate General of Public Information Staff Officer Lt. Col. Hitten Sawhney.