Proceedings stayed in defamation case against Kejriwal, his deputy

HC seeks reply from State, Vijender Gupta before Feb. 27

The Delhi High Court has stayed the proceedings in a defamation complaint against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia made by BJP leader Vijender Gupta.

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

The two AAP leaders had argued that only they were named in the complaint when the alleged defamatory tweet was retweeted, commented upon and liked by thousands of other people.

CM, Sisodia’s plea

The AAP leaders have sought quashing of the complaint and also challenged the subsequent orders of the lower court framing charge against them and summoning them for trial in the defamation case.

They have contended that the lower court’s orders to summon them for trial and frame charges against them were passed “arbitrarily” and “without application of mind”.

Their petition claims that a bare perusal of the complaint would reveal that “it was mala fide, politically motivated and makes out no case of defamation against the petitioners”.

Mr. Gupta, in his complaint, had accused them of “maligning” his image by allegedly accusing him on Twitter of being part of an alleged “conspiracy” to kill the Chief Minister .