Nithyakalyani Narayanan. V
On September 8th, a Sessions Court in Ahmedabad reserved its order on a revision application filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh. They challenged the summons issued against them by a Magistrate Court for their alleged defamatory statements on the academic degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The case deals with the defamation complaint filed by Gujarat University against Kejriwal and Singh for allegedly defaming the University. The varsity filed a case against them for allegedly making derogatory statements against it for not disclosing the degree of the Prime Minister. In April 2023, a Magistrate Court issued a summons against them.
The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Jayeshbhai Chovatiya passed an order on April 17th after considering the oral and digital evidence shared in a pen drive, which comprised Kejriwal’s tweets and speeches made after a judgment of the Gujarat High Court in the matter. It said that the statements made by Kejriwal and MP Singh were prima facie defamatory.
The High Court judgment had allowed the appeal of the University and held that it need not disclose Prime Minister Modi’s degree. The Court had imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on Kejriwal.
The ACMM court said that the accused are well-educated political office-bearers who are aware of the effect of their statements on the public at large. The Magistrate further held that if political office bearers do any work for their personal enmity or selfishness instead of fulfilling their duty to their people, it is considered a violation of the trust of the people.
Kejriwal and Singh have challenged the same before the sessions court through Advocate Aum Kotwal.
Additional Sessions Judge JM Brahmbhatt is likely to pronounce its order on September 14.
Name of the case: Arvind Kejriwal vs. Piyush Patel