MP: Defamation Case Ordered Against Former CM Shivaraj Singh Chouhan for False OBC Quota Claims

Indore: A special court has directed the registration of a criminal defamation case against Madhya Pradesh BJP president VD Sharma, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and ex-minister Bhupendra Singh. This order comes in response to a petition by Congress’ Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha, as confirmed by Tankha's counsel HS Chhabra. The Judicial Magistrate First Class Vishveshwari Mishra, handling cases involving MPs and MLAs, issued the order on Saturday, finding sufficient evidence for trial.

Last year on April 29, Tankha provided his preliminary statement in the court for the criminal defamation case. Tankha, also a senior Supreme Court lawyer, accused the BJP leaders of damaging his reputation by falsely asserting his involvement in a Supreme Court case related to the Other Backward Class (OBC) quota in the 2021 panchayat elections. Tankha clarified that he neither participated in any court proceedings on OBC reservation nor filed any petition on the matter. Additionally, Tankha has filed a civil defamation suit of Rs 10 crore against Sharma, Chouhan, and Singh.