Plea Seeking FIR Against Union Minister Smriti Irani For Alleged NCW Appointment Scam Dismissed By Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court recently dismissed a revision plea seeking registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Union Minister Smriti Irani and two others alleging that they had demanded ₹25 lakh to appoint the Revisionist as a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW).

The bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh was essentially dealing with the revision plea filed by an international shooter Vartika Singh who claimed in her plea that she was asked to pay ₹25 lakh as a bribe for confirming her appointment as a member of the NCW.

In her plea, she also mentioned the fact that even after she refused to give the birbe, one Dr. Rajnish Singh and Vijay Gupta, Secretary of Mrs. Smriti Irani, Cabinet Minister continued to demand Rs.25,00,000/- (Rupees Twenty Five Lakhs) for eight months.

Further, she submitted that in November 2020, when she went to the official residence of Irani in New Delhi and showed the three letters, which were shared by Dr. Rajnish Singh, Irani took all the three letters back and asked the complainant to go back.

That is when the complainant claimed that she believed that a fraud was being committed with her to cheat her of Rs.25,00,000/- and in this fraud, Irani, Cabinet Minister was also fully involved. 

Thereafter, she tried to lodge an FIR, but when the same was not lodged, she moved an application before the Special Judge, MP/MLA Court, who called for a police report from the concerned police station.

Interestingly, the police submitted its report in which it was said that the revisionist is herself facing an FIR under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 509 IPC and Section 66/67 Information Technology Act and in the instant case, the FIR was pending.

It was further said that the revisionist had deliberately manufactured and forged the documents and she declared herself as a Member of the National Woman Commission. It was also said that the investigation was on against Dr. Rajnish Singh.

In view of this, the court below rejected the application filed by the Revisionist under Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. by the MP/MLA Court.

The High Court found justification in the order of the MP/MLA Court and dismissed the plea as it observed thus:

"The matter is still under investigation that whether the claim of the complainant/revisionist is based on the forged and fabricated documents or not. There is already an FIR registered against the revisionist and, therefore, I am of the view that the learned Special Judge, MP/MLA Court has taken the correct view in rejecting the application under Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. There is no error of law or jurisdiction in the impugned order, which requires this Court to interfere with the same in exercise of its revisional jurisdiction."

Case title - Vartika Singh v. State Of U.P. Thru. S.P. District Amethi And 3 Ors.

Citation: 2022 LiveLaw (AB) 344

Click Here To Read/Download Order