Jharkhand HC seeks report from Hazaribagh court on using Whatsapp for framing charges

The Jharkhand High Court has sought a report from a Hazaribagh court in connection with framing of charges against a former state minister through a WhatsApp call that had invited the wrath of the Supreme Court.

Registrar General of the high court Ambujnath said that zonal judge Amitabh Kumar Gupta on Monday asked the district court judge about the details of the matter.

The step was taken in the wake of the Supreme Court's observations after former minister Yogendra Sao informed it.

Sao had approached the apex court to shift his case to a special court in Delhi. During the course of hearing the court was informed that he was to be produced before the court through video conferencing.

When video conferencing could not happen charges were framed through a WhatsApp call.

A bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices S A Bobde and L N Rao had taken serious note of the submissions and said, "What is happening in Jharkhand? This process cannot be allowed, and we cannot allow administration of justice to be brought into disrepute."