Court allows Gadkari, Digvijay to jointly settle defamation case

A Delhi court today allowed the joint application moved by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh to withdraw the criminal defamation complaint filed by the former against the latter.

Singh and Gadkari, who holds the porfolios of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, filed a joint application before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal seeking legal quietus of Gadkari's private complaint.

"In the recent past, the respondent (Singh) and the complainant (Gadkari) met and in a private discussion, they have agreed that sometimes in the heat of political campaign, the statements are made which may not always be substantiated and, therefore, in the larger public interest, they have agreed to put an end to the present ongoing litigation," the joint plea by both the politicians said.

The court allowed Gadkari to withdraw the complaint, noting that the matter has been amicably settled and both the leaders do not want to pursue it further.

The court had in December 2012 granted bail to the Congress leader in the case where he had allegedly accused the BJP leader of having business links with his party MP Ajay Sancheti.

The court, after finding "prima facie" evidence against Singh, had directed him to appear before it as an accused in the complaint, which was filed under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the IPC.

Gadkari, in his statement recorded in the court, had denied having any business ties with Sancheti and said that Singh had levelled totally false and defamatory allegations against him to give the impression that I have been responsible for allocation of the coal mines to Sancheti.

In his petition, Gadkari had said that Singh had levelled defamatory allegations against him to lower his dignity in the public at large and with the wrongful intent to malign and tarnish his image.

The Congress leader had denied charges that he had defamed the BJP leader.