NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday stayed the trial court proceedings against four BJP leaders, including Delhi unit president Adesh Gupta, in a criminal defamation complaint filed by Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and its Vice-Chairman Raghav Chadha.
A bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri also stayed the summoning orders issued by a city trial court.
Ramvir Bhiduri, the leader of opposition in the Delhi Assembly, contended in his petition that the defamation complaint against him were an abuse of the process of law.
The High Court stay comes after a Delhi court issued summons to the BJP leaders on a complaint filed by DJB and Chadha who had alleged that on January 21, a press conference was held by the accused persons who levelled allegations of corruption against the Jal Board and Chadha.
The complaint, filed jointly by DJB vice-chairperson and Chadha, claimed that Biduri and other BJP leaders indulged in a malicious campaign to tarnish their reputation.
According to the complaint, the accused deliberately made defamatory statements in spite of knowing that such allegations would tarnish the image of complainants.
Bhiduri in his petition claimed that he was at the forefront of exposing irregularities in the working of the government, which was the job of any opposition party in a democracy, and therefore, could not be accused of defamation for highlighting the “total mismanagement of accounts” of DJB.
Act to hamper reputation
According to the complaint, the accused deliberately made defamatory statements in spite of knowing that such allegations would tarnish the image of the complainants.