Gujarat High Court today dismissed Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh's pleas to halt the summons issued against them linking to a criminal defamation case for their remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualification.
In their petitions, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal and Singh challenged the summonses issued by a trial court in the case filed by Gujarat University. Additionally, they challenged the subsequent order of the sessions court dismissing their revision applications against the summonses. Justice Hasmukh Suthar dismissed their petitions and instructed the two AAP leaders to present their arguments before the trial court.
Seeking the quashing of the summons, the two leaders had said that Gujarat University (GU) cannot file a defamation case before a magistrate court and rather should move to the sessions court.
The metropolitan court had summoned Kejriwal and Singh on April 15 last year in the defamation case filed by GU over their “sarcastic” and “derogatory” statements in connection with PM Modi’s degree.
The two leaders then filed a revision application in the sessions court challenging the summons.
However, the sessions court upheld the summons, after which they approached the Gujarat HC, which rejected their plea for an interim stay. The two leaders also approached the Supreme Court, which too refused to entertain their pleas.
The HC later directed the sessions court to conclude the hearing within ten days after assigning the matter to a new bench.
GU registrar Piyush Patel had filed a defamation case against Kejriwal and Singh after the HC in March last year set aside the Central Information Commission (CIC) order concerning PM Modi’s educational qualification.
While the court imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 upon Kejriwal, it also refused to grant a stay on the order.
Kejriwal and Singh made “defamatory” statements in press conferences and on social media targeting the university over PM Modi’s degree, GU had said in its complaint.
Their comments, which were made intentionally, targeting the GU were defamatory and hurt the prestige of the university, as per the complainant.
In April 2016, the then CIC M Sridhar Acharyulu directed the Delhi University and GU to provide information to Kejriwal on PM Modi's degrees. Three months later, the Gujarat HC stayed the CIC order after GU approached it against that order.
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