A complaint alleging that Wani, Harsh misused the name of the Panther Party

A formal complaint against J&K Congress president Vikar Rasool Wani and former minister Harsh Dev Singh for allegedly abusing the J&K National Panthers Party (JKNPP) moniker has been filed with the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, and the Election Commission of India. Vilakshan Singh, the head of the J&K National Panthers Party (Bhim), has filed the lawsuit.

By its ruling dated March 20, the Election Commission of India banned all organizations connected to the party from using the party’s name and frozen the party’s name, JKNPP. “JKNPP (Bhim) leaders were informed that, in spite of this explicit direction, Harsh Dev Singh had falsely identified himself as the party’s chairman during a meeting with Vikar Rasool Wani. Harsh Dev Singh did not protest or refute Wani’s depiction of him as the head of the J&K National Panthers Party in a Facebook post that he had written, according to Vilakshan.

Following Vilakshan and Harsh Dev’s claims to leadership of the organization, ECI gave the party the interim name J&K National Panthers Party (Bhim) in order for it to run in the Lok Sabha elections.

According to Vilakshan, Harsh Dev Singh’s purported illegal projection of power and any related acts—specifically, his pledges to support any coalition on behalf of the JKNPP—violate the Election Commission’s ruling.

In his submitted complaint, Vilakshan has asked the Chief Electoral Officer of J&K and the Election Commission of India to take swift, decisive action against Vikar Rasool Wani and Harsh Dev Singh.