Lokeshwar Singh Panta, J.—Petitioners namely Prabhash Joshi and Om Thanvi have preferred this petition under section 482 of the Code of "Criminal Procedure read with Article 227 of the Constitution of India challenging the correctness of the order dated June 27, 1991 passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate, Hamirpur in case No. 44-1/91, summoning the petitioners and also for quashing the proceedings initiated against them on the basis of private complaint made by respondent Dharam Singh, Ex-Revenue Minister, under section 500 read with section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.

2. Petitioner No. 1 is the Editor-in-Chief of Newspaper Hindi Daily Jansatta Delhi Office. Petitioner No. 2 is the Resident Editor of Chandigarh edition of the Newspaper The petitioners submit that during the last Parliamentary election large number of prominent persons joined different parties including the Bhartiya Janta Party. One Shri Dharam Singh belonging to Mewa Constituency alongwith some other persons also resigned from Congress Party and joined the Bhartiya Janta Party. Copy of the statement made by Dharam Siogfa on 21-5-1991. to this effect is annexed as Annexure P-i. The news about Dharam Singhs