DHC issues notice to Kejriwal on Jaitley's fresh defamation case

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the fresh defamation case filed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, after the former's counsel Ram Jethmalani confirmed that he called Jaitley a 'crook' after being instructed by his client to do so.

The notice is returnable on July 26.

Jaitley sued Kejriwal under an additional defamation suit worth Rs. 10 crore.

The suit was filed in the Delhi High Court after Jethmalani accused Jaitley of being 'guilty of crimes and crookery'.

Earlier, amidst an ongoing tense round of cross-questioning between Jailtey and Jethmalani, the former was perturbed after being referred to as a 'crook' by the 93-year-old veteran lawyer, in his defamation case against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener, resulting in a verbal spat between the two parties.

Baffled by the 'abuse' hurled at him, Jaitley further demanded a clarification from the senior counsel whether this was the result of a personal tiff, to which Jethmalani clarified that the term was used under the instructions of Kejriwal.

Developing on this premise, senior advocates Rajiv Nayar and Sandeep Sethi, who were representing Jaitley, alleged that the matter was transcribed as a duel between Jaitley and Jethmalani, rather than Jaitley and Kejriwal.

Jaitley had filed a criminal defamation complaint against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for allegedly defaming him in the Patiala House Court, while a civil defamation case was filed in the Delhi High Court.

Jaitley had also filed the suit seeking Rs. 10 crore in damages after Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders accused him of alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the DDCA, of which Jaitley was the president for about 13 years until 2013.