Hearing in defamation case against Kejriwal, Sisodia deferred for June 26

Hearing in the defamation case filed by BJP leader Vijender Gupta against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was on Monday deferred for June 26 by the Rouse Avenue Court here.

Now the pre-summoning of evidence will be recorded by the court on June 26.

Earlier while hearing the case on June 6, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Samar Vishal had admitted the matter and fixed June 24 as the date for the examination of Gupta and his witnesses' statements for proving charges against AAP's top two leaders.

Gupta had filed a defamation suit filed against the duo for allegedly "maligning" his image after they accused him of being part of an alleged "conspiracy" to kill the AAP chief.

The defamation suit has been filed under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for "willfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously" defaming the complainant, "on wholly and completely false, frivolous, unjustifiable and scandalous grounds and thereby, harming the goodwill and reputation of the complainant, within the political fraternity, media, friends, family, colleagues and in society at large."

Earlier on May 21, Gupta had sent a legal notice to Kejriwal and Sisodia for allegedly attempting to "frame him" in an alleged assassination plot against the Chief Minister.