PM degree defamation case: Court asks Kejriwal, Singh to appear on July 26

A court here on Thursday directed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh to appear before it on July 26 in connection with a criminal defamation case over their "sarcastic" and "derogatory" statements with regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree.

The case against the two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders was filed on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Gujarat University (GU). A metropolitan court here had earlier directed the two leaders to appear before it on Thursday (July 13).

However, their lawyer filed an exemption application saying Kejriwal and Singh could not appear due to heavy rains in Delhi. Gujarat University's lawyer Amit Nair did not oppose the plea but urged the court to direct the AAP leaders to remain present on the next date as the trial is being delayed. After taking into consideration the exemption plea for their absence, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S J Panchal directed Kejriwal and Singh to remain present on July 26.

During the hearing, the AAP leaders' lawyer submitted another plea under section 309 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), urging the court to adjourn the hearing in view of a related matter being heard in the Gujarat High Court. However, Nair opposed the plea saying there was no connection between this case and the matter which is pending before the high court.

Subsequently, the AAP leaders did not press for the plea and withdrew it. During the previous hearings, the court had summoned the two AAP leaders after observing that prima facie there appeared to be a case against them under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Gujarat University Registrar Piyush Patel had filed a defamation complaint against the two leaders over their comments after the Gujarat High Court set aside the Chief Information Commissioner's order on PM Modi's educational degree.

They made "defamatory" statements in press conferences and on Twitter targeting the university over PM Modi's degree, the complainant said, adding that their comments against the Gujarat University were defamatory and intended to hurt the reputation of the varsity. Some of the comments quoted by the complainant and attributed to Kejriwal are: "If there is a degree and it is genuine, then why is it not being given?" "They are not giving degree because it might be fake, and If the Prime Minister studied at Delhi University and Gujarat University, then Gujarat University should celebrate that its student became the country's PM," his other comment said.

As per the university, Singh said that "they (GU) are trying to prove the PM's fake degree as genuine".

The lawyer for the complainant had argued that the statements by Kejriwal and Singh would make a person believe that the GU issues fake and bogus degrees.