HC stays proceedings against Kejriwal, others in defamation case by BJP leader

The Delhi High Court Friday stayed proceedings in a defamation case against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders for their remarks over alleged deletion of voters' names from electoral rolls in the national capital.

Justice Anu Malhotra, while staying the proceedings in the trial court, issued notice to the Delhi government and BJP leader Rajeev Babbar, who moved the defamation complaint on behalf of the party's Delhi unit, seeking their responses by April 23.

Kejriwal and three others -- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Gupta and party leaders Manoj Kumar and Atishi Marlena -- have challenged a sessions court order which upheld a magisterial court's decision to summon them as accused in the complaint.

They have sought quashing of the magisterial court's March 15, 2019 and sessions court's January 28 this year orders.

Babbar, in his complaint, has sought proceedings against them for "harming" the reputation of BJP by blaming it for the deletion of the names of voters from electoral rolls here.

He had claimed that the AAP leaders, during a press conference held in December 2018, alleged that on the directions of the BJP names of 30 lakh voters from Bania, Poorvanchali and the Muslim community had been deleted by the Election Commission.

Kejriwal and others, represented by advocates Mohd Irshad and Rishikesh, have claimed that the trial court failed to appreciate that no offence, whether defamation or otherwise, is made out against them.

The trial courts' orders failed to appreciate that the AAP leaders did not make or publish any statement against Babbar or his party as alleged by him, the plea in the high court has claimed.