A Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court here on Wednesday concluded the recording of pre-summoning evidence in a criminal defamation case filed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five leaders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.
The matter pertains to the remarks made against Mr. Jaitley in December 2015 in connection with the alleged irregularities in DDCA, which he headed for about 13 years till 2013.
After recording the evidence of three complainant witnesses, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal adjourned the case to February 15 for hearing arguments on the point of summoning Mr. Kejriwal and others.
The court also granted exemption from personal appearance to Mr. Jaitley for the day, while allowing his plea filed through his counsel, who said the complainant could not attend the hearing as he was away to Bengaluru.
Three witnesses – DDCA treasurer Ved Prakash Sharma, Ravinder Manchanda, and Registrar of Companies' Deputy Registrar Rajneesh Kumar Singh – recorded their statements before the court.
In his complaint, Mr. Jaitley had alleged that Mr. Kejriwal and others had made defamatory statements that he and his family members had made pecuniary gains by associating with a sports management company.
