HC Refuses Relief to Accused in Extortion Case, Trial to Go Ahead in Una #HimachalHighCourt #Shimla #CrimeCase #Extortion #BreakingNews
Shimla, April 27: In a significant order, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has upheld the framing of charges in a criminal case involving allegations of conspiracy, extortion, and criminal intimidation.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Sandeep Sharma dismissed a criminal revision petition filed by accused Kuljit Kaur alias Shallu, who had challenged the trial court’s decision to proceed against her. The petition had sought discharge from the case, but the High Court found no merit in the plea.
The case stems from an order dated January 20, 2025, passed by the Additional Sessions Judge-I, Una, in which charges under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 384 (extortion), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC were framed against the accused.
While examining the records, including the police challan filed under Section 173 CrPC, the High Court observed that there was sufficient material on record to justify the framing of charges at this stage.
The court made it clear that a detailed examination of evidence is not required while deciding discharge applications, and only a prima facie case needs to be seen.
The allegations in the case originate from a complaint linked to Puneet Kumar, husband of the prosecutrix, though further details remain part of the ongoing trial.
With this order, the High Court has cleared the way for the trial to proceed in the Una court, dealing a setback to the accused’s attempt to avoid prosecution at the preliminary stage.
