Delhi Court to Hear Defamation Case Against CM Atishi Marlena and Former CM Arvind Kejriwal
New Delhi, September 23: The Rouse Avenue court has scheduled the defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Marlena, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders for October 3. The case was filed by BJP leader Rajeev Babbar in 2020.
Last week, the Delhi High Court dismissed an appeal against the trial court proceedings. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Tanya Bamniyal will consider the arguments on charge and the appearance of the accused on the scheduled date.
Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta emphasized that citizens have the right to truthful and accurate information and that mud-slinging by political parties is not permissible. The court found the allegations made by AAP against BJP to be defamatory and aimed at gaining undue political advantage.
The court vacated its interim order that had granted a stay to Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi Marlena, and other AAP leaders, ordering them to appear before the trial court. The defamation case was initiated by Rajeev Babbar, who accused AAP leaders of defaming BJP by alleging that the party was responsible for removing 30 lakh names from the Delhi electoral rolls, affecting communities like Baniya, Muslims, and others.
In February 2020, the Delhi High Court had stayed the proceedings in the defamation case. AAP leaders had sought to quash the magisterial court’s order from March 15, 2019, and the sessions court’s order from January 28, 2020.
Earlier in July, AAP leader Atishi Marlena faced another defamation case filed by BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor over allegations of ‘poaching’ AAP legislators. The Rouse Avenue court granted her bail in that matter.
Rajeev Babbar claimed that the statements made by AAP leaders were intended to damage BJP’s reputation by targeting specific voter groups, causing irreparable harm. Arvind Kejriwal had argued that the defamation complaint was vague and did not specify the ‘person aggrieved’. The trial court had observed that the allegations were prima facie defamatory and referred to BJP.
Babbar contended that the voters’ list is managed by the Election Commission, not BJP.
Doubts Revealed
Defamation -: Defamation means saying or writing something bad about someone that can harm their reputation. It’s like spreading false rumors that can hurt someone’s image.
CM -: CM stands for Chief Minister. The Chief Minister is the head of the government in a state in India, like the captain of a team.
Atishi Marlena -: Atishi Marlena is a politician from Delhi. She is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and is currently the Chief Minister of Delhi.
Arvind Kejriwal -: Arvind Kejriwal is a well-known politician in India. He was the Chief Minister of Delhi before Atishi Marlena and is also a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Rouse Avenue court -: Rouse Avenue court is a special court in Delhi that handles cases related to politicians and government officials.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India.
Rajeev Babbar -: Rajeev Babbar is a leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He filed the defamation case against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders.
Electoral rolls -: Electoral rolls are lists of people who are eligible to vote in elections. It’s like a big list of names of people who can choose their leaders.
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big court in Delhi that makes important decisions about laws and justice. It is one level below the Supreme Court of India.
Political mud-slinging -: Political mud-slinging means politicians saying bad things about each other to make the other look bad. It’s like a fight with words instead of fists.
