Explain the word 'thulla', Delhi High Court tells Kejriwal

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Chief Arvind Kejriwal to explain the meaning of the word "thulla", which he used during a television debate on policemen.

Justice Mukta Gupta granted relief to Kejriwal by exempting him from personal appearance in the trial court on Thursday after summons were issued to him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by a constable, Ajay Kumar Taneja.

The court posted the matter for August 21. The trial court had summoned Kejriwal saying his statement was prima facie defamatory and had asked him to appear in the court on July 14.

Hearing Kejriwal's plea, Justice Gupta said the Aam Aadmi Party leader must explain the meaning of "thulla" as the Hindi dictionary doesn't contain this word.

"If you (Kejriwal) use this word (thulla) for somebody, you must know the meaning. You have to satisfy the court with the meaning of the word," said the court.

Senior advocate N Hariharan, appearing for Kejriwal, said "thulla" was not used against all police personnel but against those indulging in wrong practices.

"It is a word with no meaning, so it is not defamatory," he added.

The court also issued notice to Taneja and sought his response.

In his complaint of July 23 last year, Taneja, posted at the Lajpat Nagar police station, claimed Kejriwal used the "derogatory" term in reference to police personnel on a news channel.