On Monday, the Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal filed a plea contesting the high court’s decision to not dismiss a defamation lawsuit against them. The Supreme Court then requested a response from the Delhi administration and BJP leader Rajiv Babbar.
A bench consisting of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued a notice and stopped the trial court proceedings.
Senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi, representing Atishi and Kejriwal, stated that the defamation case was filed by Babbar as an authorized agent of the BJP Delhi.
“Neither the central or Delhi branches of the BJP have lodged any complaints. Babbar is not the guy I supposedly defamed,” he stated.
Senior advocate Sonia Mathur, appearing for Babbar, stated that the BJP leader has filed the case on behalf of the party.
Both Atishi and Kejriwal has challenged the September 2 order of the Delhi High Court, which had refused to quash the proceedings against them and other AAP leaders over their remarks about alleged deletion of names of voters, saying the imputations prima facie lowered the reputation of the BJP.
The high court had said the imputations were prima facie defamatory with an intention of vilifying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and gaining undue political mileage.
It had dismissed the plea by Atishi, Kejriwal and two others – Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) former Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Gupta and party leader Manoj Kumar – challenging the defamation proceedings pending before the trial court.
Get the Latest News Updates and Stay Informed with FELA NEWS!
Source: NEWS18
