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Court reserves verdict on complaint against Jaswant

It is alleged that opium was served at a function he organised on October 31

JODHPUR: A special court here on Saturday reserved its verdict whether investigation should be conducted into a complaint filed against senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh that opium was allegedly served at a function he had organised on Wednesday.

Initial hearing

The court concluded the initial hearing of the application and put the matter for decision whether the case was fit for investigation under section 156/3 of the Cr.PC or not after hearing the arguments of the counsel for the complainant.

The complaint, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985, against the former External Affairs Minister and nine other BJP leaders was filed on Friday for allegedly using opium and provoking others publicly during a social function hosted by Mr. Singh at his ancestral village Jasol in Barmer district of Rajasthan.

“Conduct inglorious”

Malam Singh Choudhary, counsel for the complainant Om Prakash Vishnoi, said it was contended before the court that on October 31, Mr. Singh hosted a social function and he brought opium illegally and prepared its dose and served to nine other people publicly.

“Since all the ten accused are associated with the supreme institution of legislature that makes the laws, this conduct is inglorious. People do follow the leaders. On one hand, the Act restricts taking opium publicly and its glorification in social functions and on the other these public representatives crossed all legal as well as ethical limits,” Mr. Choudhary told the court.

“Rare case”

It was also contended before the court that it was a rare case in which public representative and law makers performed the role of “law breakers” publicly and the court, therefore, may send this case to police station for registering the case and making investigation.

The complainant also named Member of Parliament Raghuveer Singh Kaushal, Kailash Megwal, former president of BJP Rajasthan L.K. Chaturvedi, Cabinet ministers of Rajasthan Narpat Singh Razvi, Ghanshyam Tiwadi, Madan Dilavar, and MP Jain along with two MLAs Jogeshwar Garg and Shankar Singh Rajpurohit besides Mr. Singh. — PTI

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