HC grants time to BJP spokesman to respond to scribe's plea in defamation case

The Delhi High Court today granted time to a BJP spokesperson to respond to a plea by a woman journalist, challenging summons issued to her by a trial court in a criminal defamation case filed by him.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva also extended the exemption granted to the journalist from personally appearing before the trial court in the defamation case.

Journalist Swati Chaturvedi was on May 17 summoned by the trial court as an accused in the defamation case and asked to appear before it in the proceedings initiated by BJP spokesperson Tajinder Singh Bagga for the scribe's tweets regarding his appointment to the post.

The high court had asked Bagga to file his response on the journalist's plea.

During the day's hearing, Bagga's counsel sought two more weeks to respond to the plea which was granted by the court.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on December 4.

Senior advocate Arvind Nigam, appearing for the scribe, sought to stay the trial court proceedings and claimed that the tweet was not against Bagga but for the political party.

In her plea filed through advocate Pranav Sachdeva, Chaturvedi had challenged the summons as well as sought quashing of the criminal proceedings initiated against her by Bagga.