In HC, Arun Jaitley defends value placed on self

Kejriwal lawyer Jethmalani quizzes Jaitley over "his feelings of greatness"

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley appeared before Delhi high court on Monday in a hearing on his Rs 10-crore defamation suit against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders. (AAP is Aam Aadmi Party.) Lawyer Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Kejriwal and other defendants, asked Jaitley how the minister could call the reported damage to his reputation as “irreparable and unquantifiable” and whether such a claim had anything to do with “his feelings of greatness”. 

The defamation suit relates to statements by Kejriwal and other AAP leaders alleging financial irregularities and corruption in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) during Jaitley’s 13-year tenure as its president, which came to an end in 2013. Jethmalani accused Jaitley of trying to influence Chetan Sanghi, the Delhi government’s vigilance director who handled the DDCA case, and persuading him to go back on his report. Jethmalani added that Jaitley had not suffered damage to his wealth over the alleged defamatory comments and there was no reason for making those claims, except for the value the BJP leader placed on himself, leading him to term the loss as “unquantifiable”. Jaitley responded by asserting the value he placed on the loss of his reputation was only a small part of the enormous damage done as the statements had caused him mental distress. Jaitley said the damage caused could be termed unquantifiable given his stature and background. He added that his views were based on what friends, well-wishers, and others had expressed privately and in the media, and were not merely his own. 

On March 1, the court had denied a plea by Kejriwal seeking financial details of Jaitley and his family members, but allowed access to annual reports and financial statements of DDCA for the 13 years. 

In addition to the defamation suit in the high court, Jaitley has also filed criminal proceedings against Kerjiwal and others in the Patiala House Court in New Delhi.