Conspiracy against PM amounts to treason: Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: Conspiracy against the Prime Minister amounted to treason and a person cannot be accused of such a serious offence irresponsibly without any

cogent material

, the

Delhi high court

Wednesday said.
The court was hearing a

lawsuit

filed by

BJD MP Pinaki Misra

against lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, seeking to restrain him from making "false and defamatory" tweets and statements.

Dehadrai had alleged that Misra, along with expelled TMC MP Mahua Moitra, had conspired against the Prime Minister.
Pulling up Dehadrai, Justice Jasmeet Singh orally observed: "When you say conspiracy against the Prime Minister, it is troublesome. You can't be trigger happy... Conspiracy against the Prime Minister is an offence against the state, (it is) treason... It has serious repercussions on the general public."
The court said that Dehadrai should await the outcome of his complaint to the authorities before he makes such allegations. "The allegation of conspiring against the prime minister cannot be made irresponsibly and needs to be based on cogent and substantive reasons," the court further said.

Following Justice Singh's remarks, Dehadrai and his counsel assured the court that he would not make further statements in relation to Misra "conspiring" against the Prime Minister till the next date of hearing.
The court said CBI was already looking into the allegations, and the dispute between Dehadrai and Moitra was also pending before the HC.
Taking the statement of the defendant on record, the HC issued notices on Misra's suit to Dehadrai and two media houses.