NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday stayed the proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed against Delhi Chief Minister Atishi. Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court issued an order halting the proceedings before a magisterial court, which had previously summoned Atishi over a complaint by BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor.
The BJP leader accused Atishi of defaming him with claims that the saffron party attempted to bribe AAP MLAs to destabilise the Delhi government.
Atishi had challenged the summons in her application. Judge Gogne has stayed the proceedings until further orders and scheduled the next hearing for December 2.
The defamation complaint stems from statements Atishi and then CM Arvind Kejriwal made earlier this year about alleged poaching attempts by the BJP, which Kapoor claimed were baseless.
The magisterial court had issued summons to Atishi in May while denying a similar request for Kejriwal. Atishi was later granted bail in July after complying with the court’s summons.