Srinagar Nov 12: A local court here Saturday fixed 11 February 2012 as next date of hearing in the defamation case filed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar against Peoples Democratic Party president, Mehbooba Mufti.
 The court of Sub judge Passenger Tax Srinagar, Massrat Shaheen after hearing the arguments of the counsels posted the matter for arguments on February 11 next year.
 Senior counsel and former Advocate General, Muhammad Altaf Naik, who was assisted by senior counsel M A Rathore represented Mehbooba while Sagar was represented by senior counsels, Rafiq Ahmad Bakshi, Muhammad Ashraf Thakur and Shuja in the case.
 Counsels for Mehbooba pleaded that the case be posted for hearing in March as they were not ready for the arguments on the application they have filed earlier challenging its maintainability.
 The PDP president, through her counsel had moved an application before the court wherein she questioned that the complaint filed by Sagar against her was not maintainable.
 Sagar through his counsel had filed objections to the application on last date of hearing and the matter was posted for arguments today.
 Sagar, who was chief polling agent of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, had filed a defamation suit against the PDP president, who had accused him of rigging elections by indulging in booth capturing.
 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 with the directions that the case be heard by it.
 The complaint filed by Sagar in the court said that Mehbooba had publically defamed him by saying that he was carrying bogus voters from booth to booth in 2004 parliamentary election.
 Mehbooba during previous hearing had refuted the allegations before the Court and had said that the allegations were baseless and whatever she had said was on the basis of the FIR lodged by a polling officer.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 12 Nov 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:00:00 IST