Delhi High Court Upholds Defamation Proceedings Against Kejriwal and AAP Leaders

The Delhi High Court has refused to dismiss defamation proceedings against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders, accused of harming the BJP's reputation by alleging voter roll deletions. The court found the remarks prima facie defamatory and scheduled the next trial court appearance for October 3.

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to quash defamation proceedings against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders. The case revolves around remarks alleging the BJP's involvement in deleting the names of 30 lakh voters from electoral rolls, which the court found to be prima facie defamatory.

Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta dismissed the plea by Kejriwal and his co-defendants, including former Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Gupta, Education Minister Atishi, and party leader Manoj Kumar. The high court found that these imputations vilified the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and looked to gain undue political advantage.

The court emphasized that while it is essential for citizens to receive truthful information to form opinions, political mud-slinging cannot be permitted. It added that the defence of the AAP leaders, arguing their remarks were in the public interest, needs to be proven during trial. The next court appearance is scheduled for October 3.

(With inputs from agencies.)