Will contest R-Infra's suit: AAP

The Anil Ambani-owned company filed a Rs 100 cr suit after AAP alleged that it bought expensive power and supplied to the Mumbai suburbs

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday said it would contest the defamation suit filed by Reliance Infrastructure (R-Infra). The Anil Ambani-owned company had filed a Rs 100-crore suit against the political party for alleging R-Infra had bought expensive power and supplied it to the suburbs here.

R-Infra’s suit came after the AAP didn’t respond to its notices asking the party to retract its statements and remove information regarding alleged malpractices on AAP’s website. Preeti Sharma Menon, the AAP’s state secretary, said the party wouldn’t go back on its claims. “Why would we ever retract our statements? Of course, we will contest such a frivolous suit,” she said in response to an e-mailed questionnaire.

The AAP had said in the last three years, Maharashtra had lost as much as Rs 22,000 crore, as all the power distributors here had resorted to corruption.

The case will be taken up by the high court here on Friday.

In January, R-Infra had secured an interim restraining order on Congress member of Parliament Sanjay Nirupam from passing defamatory statements against it. Nirupam was also sued for Rs 100 crore. It is expected he will file a response on the matter, as it is pending hearing.