Shimla, October 24, 2024 – The Himachal Pradesh High Court, responding to a petition filed by Amanpreet Kaur, directed the Superintendent of Police, Una, to expedite the filing of a supplementary challan under Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, addressing alleged harassment and intimidation by a sitting Member of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

The case, overseen by Justice Sandeep Sharma, revolves around an FIR (No. 90 of 2022) lodged by Kaur in May 2022, alleging that her edited, obscene photographs were circulated online as part of a campaign of harassment linked to political rivalry.

Kaur claims she faced threats and intimidation from the accused, including the MLA, after expressing her intention to run for the same seat.

In her petition, Kaur argued that despite promises from the police to file a supplementary challan under Section 67A of the IT Act—a charge involving the distribution of obscene material on the internet—no action has been taken in the two years since the initial investigation.

Her counsel, Ms. Bisman Mann, contended that the investigation has been biased due to the accused’s political influence.

Responding to the concerns, Additional Advocate General Rajan Kahol, representing the state, acknowledged the delay and assured the court that the supplementary challan would be filed swiftly if it hadn’t already been done.

Justice Sharma noted the importance of this step, emphasizing that a lack of action would lead to “serious consequences,” including potential contempt proceedings against the police.

Justice Sharma pointed out that Kaur has the option to approach the Special Court to demand further investigation if the police fail to file the supplementary charges.

The court also directed the authorities to assess any security concerns faced by Kaur, with appropriate protection to be provided if necessary.

With these orders, the court has scheduled a compliance check on November 26, 2024, to ensure timely action.