Delhi HC issues notice to Kejriwal over Jaitley's new 10-cr defamation suit

Ram Jethmalani accused Jaitley of being guilty of crimes and crookery; FM demands explanation

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a fresh Rs 10 crore defamation suit filed against him by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The defamation case comes after senior advocate Ram Jethmalani's intense cross-examination of Jaitley last week in relation to his previous Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Kejriwal. 

During the cross-examination, Jethmalani made several assertions against Jaitley, including 'being guilty of crimes and crookery'.

Offended by the objectionable words, Jaitley demanded an explanation whether these provocative statements were because of a personal tiff. 

The 93-year old veteran lawyer clarified he used those words on the instructions of Arvind Kejriwal. Building on this response, the Jaitley camp cited portions of the cross-examination order sheet and sued Kejriwal for a further Rs 10 crore in their latest move against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo. 

The fresh defamation suit will be heard next on July 26.

Defending his position, Kejriwal's lawyers have denied any offensive instructions being given to the senior lawyer conducting the cross-examination. 

Whereas, Jethmalani stated that in a suit for defamation, the personal character of the plaintiff is of extreme importance to ascertain the reputation of the individual. 

The initial Rs 10 crore defamation suit, the cross-examination of which led up to this latest controversy, was initiated by Jaitley against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for accusing the finance minister of financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) during his tenure as president of the body between the years 2000 and 2013. 

In addition to the civil defamation suits, Jaitley also filed a criminal case of defamation against the six high-ranking AAP members in the Patiala House Court, which is to be heard again on August 5.

On Monday, Kejriwal moved the Delhi High Court against a March 9 summons issued by the trial court to the Delhi Chief Minister and the other five accused. The matter has been fixed for hearing on September 6.