Defamation Complaint Against Kejriwal Stayed by Delhi High Court

Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar issued notice to the state and Vijender Gupta seeking their response before 27 February.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. 

(File Photo: IANS)

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, 17 December, stayed the proceedings in a defamation complaint made by BJP leader Vijender Gupta against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.

Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar issued notice to the state and Gupta, seeking their response on the joint plea by Kejriwal and Sisodia before the next date of hearing on 27 February.

Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa and advocate Arunadhri Iyer, appearing for the two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, told the court that only their clients were named in the complaint when the alleged defamatory tweet was retweeted, commented upon and liked by thousands of others.

Kejriwal and Sisodia, in their plea filed through advocate Mohd Irsad, apart from seeking quashing of the complaint, have also challenged the subsequent orders of the lower court framing charges against them and summoning them for trial in the case.

Gupta, in his complaint, had accused Kejriwal and Sisodia of "maligning" his image by allegedly accusing him on Twitter of being part of an alleged "conspiracy" to kill the AAP chief.