Defamation case against ex-Rera chief on former HP chief secretary’s complaint

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh police have registered an FIR against retired chief secretary and former Rera chairman Shrikant Baldi on a defamation complaint by former state chief secretary Sanjay Gupta.Gupta alleged Baldi made false, malicious, and defamatory imputations against him through press statements and media dissemination.The FIR was registered on May 30 under sections 248 (false charge with intent to injure), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 356(2) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, by the Shimla East police station.TOI tried to contact Baldi for his comment, but he was yet to respond at the time of going to press.Gupta, a 1988-batch IAS officer who retired as chief secretary on May 31, took charge as the chairman of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission on June 3. Baldi, a 1985-batch officer, served as Rera chairman from Jan 2020 until Dec 2024.According to the complaint, Baldi accused Gupta of passing illegal orders, exceeding his jurisdiction, misusing official powers, and favouring developers of a housing project in Solan district. Denying the allegations as baseless and misleading, Gupta asserted all his decisions fell within his lawful administrative and statutory authority.The complaint further alleged Baldi described Gupta as an officer of "doubtful integrity", a charge Gupta denied. He countered that the claim lacks evidence and was intended to undermine public confidence in a serving chief secretary, emphasising that he maintained clean vigilance and integrity clearances throughout his career. He also alleged that Baldi attempted to portray routine official decisions as "corruptly motivated" while hiding decisions Baldi himself took regarding the Solan project during his own Rera tenure.Gupta has requested a fair and expeditious investigation."The matter concerns false public allegations against the highest civil servant of the state. Failure to act promptly would embolden malicious public targeting of constitutional offices, undermine discipline in public discourse, and set an unhealthy precedent of reputational attacks through media trials," reads the FIR.On Gupta's two other complaints, Shimla East police station has registered two separate FIRs on May 30 against high court advocate Vinay Sharma and on May 31 against Yudh Chand Bains of Mandi under sections 248 (false charge with intent to injure), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 356(2) (defamation) of BNS, 2023. MSID:: 131535229 413 |