हाईकोर्ट ने दिल्ली की सीएम आतिशी मार्लेना, पूर्व सीएम अरविंद केजरीवाल के बहस और आरोपी व्यक्तियों की उपस्थिति पर 3 अक्टूबर को सूचीबद्ध किया

High Court lists arguments of Delhi CM Atishi Marlena, ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal and appearance of accused persons on October 3

The Rouse Avenue Court on Monday listed the defamation case filed against Delhi CM Atishi Marlena, ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal and others for consideration for arguments on the allegations. BJP leader Rajiv Babbar had filed a defamation case against the AAP leaders in 2020. The High Court last week dismissed the appeal against the trial court proceedings. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Tanya Bamniyal listed the case for October 3 for arguments on the allegations and consideration of appearance of accused persons. The Delhi High Court last week dismissed a petition challenging the defamation proceedings, saying that citizens have the right to true and accurate information. The court had also said that mudslinging by political parties is not justified.

Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta had remarked that in a democracy, citizens have a right to true and accurate information. The court found that the allegations levelled by the AAP against the BJP were defamatory and were aimed at maligning the BJP for deriving undue political advantage. While passing the order, the court also vacated its interim order staying the summons order passed by the trial court to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi and other AAP leaders. The court had ordered them to appear before the trial court. Kejriwal and other AAP leaders had challenged the proceedings of the defamation case going on in the trial court, which was initiated by BJP Delhi leader Rajiv Babbar.

Babbar had accused Kejriwal and other AAP leaders of defaming the BJP by alleging that the party was responsible for the deletion of names of a total of 30 lakh voters from the voter list of Delhi, which mainly comprised people from 'Baniya', Muslims and other communities. In February 2020, the Delhi High Court had stayed the proceedings in the defamation case against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders. The AAP leaders had approached the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of two court orders: the magistrate court's order dated March 15, 2019 and the sessions court's order dated January 28, 2020.

Rajiv Babbar had sought action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Sushil Kumar Gupta, Atishi Marlena and Manoj Kumar, through a defamation suit. In early July, a defamation suit was filed by BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor against AAP leader Atishi Marlena for accusing her of 'buying' AAP MLAs. The AAP leader was granted bail in the case by Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court. Rajiv Babbar claimed that the statements of the AAP party leaders were aimed at damaging the reputation of the BJP by targeting specific voter groups, including Banias, Purvanchalis and Muslims, resulting in irreparable damage to the reputation of the complainant. Arvind Kejriwal had moved the Delhi High Court in 2020, saying the defamation complaint was not maintainable as it was vague and did not disclose who the "aggrieved person" maintaining the complaint was. The trial court had in February 2020 found that the allegations made by Kejriwal and others were prima facie defamatory and referred to the BJP. Babbar has argued that the voter list is the prerogative of the Election Commission and not the BJP.