Jammu Court Takes Action on ARTO Kishtwar’s Defamation Plea; Notices Issued to Youth Congress Worker, Facebook Pages
The ALERT News
Jammu, November 8: A criminal defamation complaint has been filed by Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) Kishtwar, Tasleem Javaid Wani, against a Youth Congress worker and several Facebook-based news pages for allegedly uploading and circulating defamatory videos and posts on social media containing false allegations of corruption and misconduct.
The complaint was filed before the Court of Arvind Manhas, 3rd Additional Munsiff, Jammu, through Advocate M. A. Dar. The Court has taken cognizance of the matter and issued notices to all accused persons for their appearance and response.
The complaint accuses Muneeb Kamal, a Youth Congress worker from Poochal Kamalpora, Cherhar (Kishtwar), of posting and sharing baseless allegations against the complainant without factual verification. It further states that the accused published posts claiming that the ARTO used a private vehicle for personal purposes after office hours, tagging senior government figures including the Chief Minister (J&K UT) Omar Abdullah, Transport Minister Satish Sharma, Transport Commissioner Vishesh Mahajan, and the District Administration Kishtwar, allegedly with the intention to malign the complainant’s image before his seniors and the public.
It is also alleged that several Facebook-based news pages — 7 News Urdu, The Morning Brief – Daily Newspaper, JKUT News 24×7, and Kishtwar Crown — republished and circulated the defamatory content without verifying its authenticity, thereby amplifying the defamatory material and causing serious harm to the complainant’s reputation. Screenshots and digital records of these posts have been annexed with the complaint.
Tasleem Javaid Wani, a native of Bhalessa (Doda), is known for his integrity and public service record. He has been honoured with a UT-level award by Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for best Panchayat implementation under MGNREGA and received commendations for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic and tenure as Block Development Officer (BDO).
The complaint invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, particularly Sections 356 dealing with criminal defamation and publication of defamatory material, asserting that branding a public servant as “corrupt” without evidence constitutes a serious criminal offence under the new penal law.
After examining the documents and preliminary submissions, Judge Arvind Manhas issued notices to the accused, directing their appearance on November 29, 2025, thereby initiating formal judicial proceedings in the case.
