Jabalpur (MP): The Madhya Pradesh High Court  ordered police to register a criminal case against Congress MLA Kamleshwar Patel for allegedly forging medical documents to skip hearing of an election petition against him. (May 28)

Justice Atul Shridharan directed the Bhopal police to register a criminal case against Patel, MLA from Sinhaval in Sidhi district.

“While hearing a petition challenging the election of Patel, the HC directed the police to register a criminal case against Patel for furnishing wrong information about his medical treatment in order to skip the hearings,” government advocate Geetesh Singh Thakur said.

Swaroop Narayan Dwivedi, who had contested the polls from Sinhaval as an independent candidate, had challenged Patel’s election in the high court in 2014 on the ground that the latter had allegedly adopted unfair means to win the poll.

The HC had earlier directed Patel to remain present for recording of statement on April 27. However, since Patel did not attend that hearing, the HC summoned him again, fixing May 11 for the next hearing.

Patel’s lawyer, however, informed the court that he was not able to make it to the hearing as he was admitted to a private hospital in Bhopal.

The high court then fixed May 17 as the next date of hearing. Patel’s lawyer, however, again told the court that he was in the private hospital till May 16 and then referred to AIIMS, Bhopal on May 17. Patel’s lawyer also presented the discharge certificate of the private hospital besides an affidavit to support his contention.

However, the petitioner’s lawyer presented various newspaper reports, which showed that Patel was present at a meeting held at the Congress party’s state headquarters on May 15.

During the hearing on May 17, the HC asked the Superintendent of Police, Bhopal to get the records of the private hospital and AIIMS to verify the Congress MLA’s claims. It also directed the SP to get the CCTV footage of the Congress office. He was asked to submit the report within 24 hours.

The high court found that the Bhopal SP’s report did not corroborate the claim of Patel’s lawyer. Doctors of the private hospital also did not back Patel’s claims.

  crime, high court