Personal exemption to Salman Khurshid in trespassing case

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Tuesday granted exemption to former Union minister Salman Khurshid from appearing before a trial court on April 5 in a trespass case in which he was summoned as an accused.

Justice S. Sachdeva granted the relief to the Congress leader for one hearing before the trial court and made it clear that his counsel shall remain present before the lower court and not seek any adjournment.

The court also asked the Delhi Police to file its response on Khurshid’s plea seeking to quash the criminal proceedings against him for the alleged offence of trespassing in an office of Delhi Public School (DPS) society in south Delhi. It listed the matter for further hearing on May 9.

According to the police, the DPS Society had alleged that on March 30, 2015,  Mr Khurshid, along with one Sharda Nayak, had trespassed into the office of the society and she forcibly occupied the office of the chairman.

Advocate Pramod Dubey, appearing for Mr Khurshid, sought that the summons issued against the politician by the trial court on January 8, be quashed.

The plea alleged that the magistrate had passed the summoning order without application of mind. It said the police had filed a charge sheet in the case on February 2016 exonerating Mr Khurshid, but filed a supplementary charge sheet in December last naming him and five others as accused. He was neither named, nor any role was attributed to him in the FIR lodged on March 31, 2015 at Amar Colony police station.