HC stays registration of FIR against Sheila Dikshit

The Delhi High Court Wednesday stayed till Sep 19 a trial court order seeking registration of an FIR against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for allegedly misusing funds in an advertisement campaign before the 2008 assembly polls.

Justice Sunil Gaur, in an interim order, granted relief to Delhi CM Dikshit by staying the trial court order of Aug 31.

Deferring the matter to Sep 19, the court said: "Till then, status quo as of today in respect of FIR (First Information Report) in question be maintained."

The court had, Tuesday, reserved order in the matter and issued notice to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijender Gupta and the Delhi Police chief.

The Delhi government moved the court against the trial court's Aug 31 order directing police to register an FIR against Dikshit on the complaint of Gupta and Right to Information activist Vivek Garg, alleging that Dikshit 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.

Luthra said the complaint was "motivated and frivolous".

Gupta's senior advocate Sanjay Jain 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 the chief minister of Delhi and also minister in-charge of information and publicity. He alleged that she had 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".