Court extends stay on filing FIR against Dikshit

The Delhi High Court Thursday extended, till Sep 20, the stay granted on the trial court order for registering an FIR against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for allegedly misusing funds in an advertisement campaign before the 2008 assembly polls.

Justice Sunil Gaur said he will hear the arguments of the parties Friday and till then the trial court order on filing an FIR against Dikshit would remain suspended.

The court, in an interim order Sep 3, granted relief to Dikshit by suspending the trial court order of Aug 31 on the Delhi government's plea that the court order be quashed.

The Delhi government moved the high court against the trial court's order directing police to register an FIR against Dikshit on the complaint of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijender Gupta and Right to Information activist Vivek Garg, who alleged that she misused Rs.22.56 crore of government funds for an advertisement campaign ahead of the 2008 assembly polls.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the state government, had said that Gupta, while filing the complaint against Dikshit and seeking registration of the FIR, relied upon a Lokayukta report.

The ASG said there was no material other than that report with the complainant in this matter, and called the complaint "motivated and frivolous".

Gupta's advocate Sanjay Jain earlier argued that the complaint was initially filed before the Delhi Lokayukta, who indicted Dikshit for allegedly misusing government funds for an advertisement campaign with a "political purpose".

In his complaint, Gupta sought the registration of an FIR against Dikshit and others for alleged criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation of public funds and criminal misconduct, under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Earlier, police filed a status report and said "no criminal offence is made out against the chief minister".

In his complaint, Gupta said that in 2007-08, Dikshit was also minister in-charge of information and publicity. He alleged that she misused "the government machinery and public funds and burdened the state exchequer in carrying out the campaign of the Congress party for her (Dikshit's) own political gains".