The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh challenging the Gujarat High Court's order dismissing his petition to quash summons issued in a criminal defamation case over alleged comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualification.
The high court had previously dismissed similar pleas by Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Singh's plea was brought before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, where it was decided to hear the matter on March 11.
The petition has been filed in the apex court through advocate Vivek Jain. Kejriwal and Singh contested the summons issued by a trial court in the case filed by Gujarat University, following which the sessions court dismissed their revision applications against the summons.
The defamation case against them stemmed from alleged "sarcastic" and "derogatory" remarks made regarding Modi's educational degrees. Gujarat University Registrar Piyush Patel filed the defamation case, alleging that the statements made by Kejriwal and Singh at press conferences and on social media platform X were defamatory and tarnished the university's reputation.
According to Patel's complaint, the remarks were made after the Gujarat High Court overturned a Central Information Commission (CIC) order directing the university to disclose information about Modi's degrees under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The high court, in its decision last year, quashed the CIC order, deeming Kejriwal's RTI application as politically motivated rather than driven by public interest considerations.
The legal battle surrounding the defamation case underscores the broader debate over freedom of speech, political discourse, and the boundaries of criticism in the public sphere.
With the matter now slated for hearing in the Supreme Court, it remains to be seen how the apex court will navigate the complex legal issues involved and uphold the principles of justice and fairness. Stay tuned for updates on this evolving legal saga.
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