Supreme Court Upholds Jharkhand HC's Quashing of FIR Against BJP MPs

The Supreme Court dismissed Jharkhand's plea against quashing an FIR involving BJP MPs Dubey and Tiwari for allegedly violating aircraft protocols in 2022. The court allowed Jharkhand to submit evidence to an authorized officer under the Aircraft Act. Permission was a critical issue, given MPs' status.

In a significant adjudication, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Jharkhand government's appeal challenging the quashing of an FIR against BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Manoj Tiwari. The allegations centered on purported actions that violated air traffic protocols at Deoghar airport in 2022.

The court bench, led by Justices A S Oka and Manmohan, granted the Jharkhand government four weeks to present any probe materials to the authorized officer under the Aircraft Act. The competent DGCA authority is tasked with determining whether to file a complaint based on this evidence.

This decision follows the Jharkhand High Court's ruling on March 13, 2023, which declared the FIR void due to the lack of prior sanction from the Lok Sabha Secretariat as mandated by the Aircraft (Amendment) Act, 2020.

(With inputs from agencies.)