DDCA row: HC imposes costs on Kejriwal, Azad

The Delhi High Court has slapped a costs of Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000 on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and cricketer-turned-MP Kirti Azad respectively for delayed response to the defamation suit filed by DDCA seeking Rs two-and-half crore each as damages from them.
The high court said that their written statements to the suit will be taken on record on payment of the costs imposed on them.
The high court's Joint Registrar Anil Kumar Sisodia, who presides over the procedural aspects of a civil suit before it is heard in a court, has directed that the costs of Rs 10,000, imposed on the chief minister, shall be paid to the cricketing body.

It also said that out of the costs of Rs 30,000 imposed onsuspended BJP MP Azad, Rs 20,000 shall be paid to the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) and remaining Rs 10,000 shall be deposited in the Delhi High Court Legal Service Authority.
The joint registrar had reserved his order on January 15 on the issue whether their reply would be taken on record or not.
His order came on Kejriwal and Azad's separate applications seeking condonation of delay in filing their respective written statements in the defamation suit.

DDCA, represented by advocate Sangram Patnaik, while seeking that the written submissions of the two politicians in the civil suit should not be considered, had told the court that while Kejriwal's reply was late by 16 days, Azad has filed his response after almost 70 days of the stipulated period.

Kejriwal and Azad are facing defamation suit filed by DDCA for alleged defamatory criticism of the functioning and finances of the cricketing body.
The counsel for Kejriwal during arguments had submitted that since the chief minister was busy, the delay in filing his reply should be condoned.
Azad's counsel had said the MP was busy in Parliament, so his reply should also be accepted and the delay condoned.
DDCA had earlier alleged that Kejriwal "with prior motive, indulged in certain false, shocking, scandalous, defamatory, baseless, slanderous, malicious, disgraceful and outrageous statements which are defamatory against them".
DDCA had also said that the statements against the cricketing body were made to create a serious dent on its image and a "notion of public outcry".

The union minister also answered in the negative a query
as to whether he and his government had befriended Sanghi and asked him to go back on his report.
Jethmalani, assisted by advocate Anupam Srivastava, also alleged that search at Kejriwal's Secretariat office was made because documents relating to DDCA was expected to be found.
Jaitley, who has denied all allegations of financial bungling in the DDCA, has filed the suit seeking Rs 10 crore damages against the backdrop of attacks on him by Kejriwal and other AAP leaders over alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the cricket body of which he was the president for about 13 years till 2013.

The senior BJP leader appeared before the court for the second time since he had filed the suit in December 2015.
The union minister came to the court of a Joint Registrar at 11:45 am along with a battery of senior lawyers and deposed that Kejriwal and others defamed him by levelling allegations in connection with DDCA, despite he contradicting the accusations in the media and also in Parliament.
Jaitley, who was accompanied by senior advocates Rajiv Nayar, Sandeep Sethi and Pratibha M Singh, was questioned for over two hours in a jam-packed courtroom.
Jethmalani also had a battery of lawyers around him, mostly the prosecutors of AAP government and Kejriwal's lawyer who is handling the case.

When asked by Jethmalani to explain how the damage to his reputation was "irreparable and unquantifiable" and whether it had anything to do with his "personal feelings of greatness," the BJP leader said "I believe that considering my stature, background and reputation, the loss caused to me and my reputation was so enormous that it could be considered unquantifiable.
"My view about my own reputation was based on what my friends, well-wishers and other people both privately and in media, who had expressed an opinion on this subject."
During the cross examination which will continue tomorrow also, Jethmalani put to the senior minister whether he had made any serious effort to reverse the alleged damage before coming to the court.

Jaitley replied "my denial on public platform was a serious effort".