SC issues notice on Delhi CM Atishi, Kejriwal's plea in defamation case

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Delhi government and BJP leader Rajiv Babbar on a plea of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal challenging the high court order refusing to quash a defamation case against them.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued a notice in the matter and stayed the proceedings in the trial court.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Atishi and Kejriwal, submitted that the defamation case has been filed by Babbar, as authorised representative of BJP Delhi.

"BJP, neither central nor Delhi, has not filed any complaint. Babbar is not the person I have allegedly defamed," he submitted.

Senior advocate Sonia Mathur, appearing for Babbar, stated that the BJP leader has filed the case on behalf of the party.

Both Atishi and Kejriwal has challenged the September 2 order of the Delhi High Court, which had refused to quash the proceedings against them and other AAP leaders over their remarks about alleged deletion of names of voters, saying the imputations prima facie lowered the reputation of the BJP.

The high court had said the imputations were prima facie defamatory with an intention of vilifying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and gaining undue political mileage.

It had dismissed the plea by Atishi, Kejriwal and two others -- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) former Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Gupta and party leader Manoj Kumar -- challenging the defamation proceedings pending before the trial court.