Defamation case: Court summons BJP MLA as accused

A city court today summoned BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa as an accused for allegedly defaming Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain by levelling graft charges against him.
Metropolitan Magistrate Shefali Barnala Tandon directed Sirsa to appear before the court on January 20.
The court had on October 31 summoned sacked minister Kapil Mishra as an accused on January 20 on a similar complaint filed by Jain.
Jain had filed two separate criminal complaints against Sirsa and Mishra alleging that they had made defamatory statements against him in the media.
In his pre-summoning evidence, he had deposed that the accused persons had also used his official Twitter handle to defame him.

The court had earlier taken cognisance of the two complaints filed by Jain in May. If convicted, the offence of defamation entails a maximum punishment of two years.

Jain submitted that on May 7, Mishra, who earlier headed the water department in the city government, had made a statement accusing him of giving a bribe to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 5.
He had accused Sirsa of making libellous statements by levelling corruption charges against him.
He had said these statements had caused irreparable damage to his reputation.
Mishra, an MLA from Karawal Nagar constituency, was suspended from the Aam Aadmi Party after he raised corruption allegations against Kejriwal and Jain.