AAP's Sanjay Singh fined in defamation case involving ex-UP minister

The court said that AAP leader Sanjay Singh levelled these false allegations only to demean and slander the image of Mahendra Kumar Singh

The civil judge (senior division) of the Lucknow district court found Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh guilty of making false and fabricated allegations against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former minister in the state government, Mahendra Kumar Singh.

The court imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on Sanjay Singh and directed him to remove all video footage and social media posts in which he made false accusations against Mahendra Singh.

The court further stated that if the AAP leader fails to pay the fine within the next two months, the amount will accrue interest at a rate of six percent from the date of judgement.

Kamal Kant Gupta, civil judge (senior division), passed the order on January 2 in a defamation case filed by Mahendra Singh, who served as a cabinet minister in the Jal Shakti department during the first tenure of the Yogi Adityanath government.

What is the case?

Sanjay Singh had convened a press conference on August 8, 2021, at the party office in Lucknow, during which he accused Mahendra Singh of embezzling funds amounting to Rs 30,000 crore in his ministry. 

Court's judgement

The court observed that Sanjay Singh had failed to produce any documents in court to substantiate his allegations against Mahendra Kumar Singh. The court made serious observations against the AAP leader in its order, stating, "The false, fallacious, and fabricated allegations have been made by the defendant [Sanjay Singh] with ulterior motives against the plaintiff [Mahendra Kumar Singh]."

The court added that the AAP leader levelled these allegations only to demean and slander the image of Mahendra Kumar Singh, to gain political mileage and cheap publicity for himself, and to establish a foundation for the AAP in Uttar Pradesh.

The court also noted that Sanjay Singh has a habit of making derogatory and defamatory statements against his political opponents and reputable persons in society.