Srinagar, June 28: President of Peoples’ Democratic Party Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday appeared before a local court here in a defamation case. The Court recorded her statement following which she furnished bail bonds.
 Mehbooba appeared before the Passenger Tax Court, she moved an application for her exemption from appearing for a few hearings, which was granted by the court.
 Mehbooba’s counsel, senior advocate, Altaf Naik along with two others pleaded before the court that there was no need to record her statement on Wednesday.
 But counsel for the Complainant, Rafiq Ahmad Bakshi, along with other two counsels  pleaded that the statement be recorded under section 242 of RPC.
 Pertinently, in 20004, National Conference leader, Ali Muhammad Sagar had filed a complaint before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar in which he had alleged that Mehbooba Mufti had damaged his image by giving defamatory statements against him.
 Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate had later shifted the case to Passenger Tax Court Srinagar.
 After Sagar filed the complaint, Mehbooba approached the High Court to get it quashed. The High Court had referred the case to Passenger Tax Court and directed the case to be heard by it.
 Following a number of summons Passenger Tax Court issued a bailable warrant against her.
 Ali Muhammad Sagar had appeared in the Court 3 months ago and had recorded his statement vis-à-vis the allegations leveled by Mehbooba.
 “Mehbooba Mufti had said that I was carrying bogus voters from booth to booth in order to caste their votes in NC’s favour and an FIR no. 22 is registered against me (Sagar) in police station Rainawari. I am also responsible for burning Nawa Kadal bridge” Sagar had stated.  
 On Tuesday, Mehbooba Mufti while refuting the allegations stated before the Court that these were baseless and whatever she had said was on the basis of the FIR lodged by a polling officer.
 “ In fact whatever she had said was on the basis of the FIR, police had registered against  Ali Muhammad Sagar, there is no question of her damaging the image of the NC leader”, Senior advocate Altaf Naik told Greater Kashmir.
 He said he pleaded the same plea before the court today.
 Ali Muhammad Sagar, had stated in the complaint that there was no FIR against him in Police Station Ranawari.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 IST