NEW DELHI: In a significant legal setback for the AAP, the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, minister Atishi, and other party leaders seeking withdrawal of a criminal defamation case against them.
The case stems from allegations levelled by the AAP in 2018, accusing the BJP of orchestrating the deletion of nearly 30 lakh voters’ names from the electoral rolls in the national capital.
Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, presiding over the matter, emphasised the importance of accurate and truthful information in a democracy. The court maintained an uncompromising stance on political mudslinging. “In the present case, AAP’s allegations against the BJP are defamatory and were made to vilify the BJP and gain undue political mileage,” the court stated.
The defamation case was originally filed by BJP leader Rajiv Babbar who argued that the AAP’s claims were not only baseless but also damaging to his party’s reputation.
Babbar contended that during a press conference in December 2018, the AAP leaders falsely accused the saffron party of influencing the Election Commission of India to remove voters from the Bania, Poorvanchali, and Muslim communities from Delhi’s voter lists.
Following these accusations, a magistrate issued summonses to CM Kejriwal, Atishi, and other AAP leaders in March 2019. Although the AAP leaders initially sought relief from the sessions court, the summoning order was upheld.
They subsequently approached the Delhi High Court, which temporarily stayed the proceedings against them in February 2022.