NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the defamation complaint filed by former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain against BJP MLA from Shakur Basti, Karnail Singh.
The case concerns allegations made by Singh during a television interview on January 19, 2025. Jain claims Singh falsely stated that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered 37 kilograms of gold from his home and that he owned 1,100 acres of land. Singh also allegedly called Jain “Bhoo Mafia” and suggested he would be jailed again.
Singh’s counsel, Advocate Vinod Dahiya, argued that the Special MP/MLA Court cannot hear the case because Singh was not an MLA when the complaint was filed. However, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Paras Dalal ruled that the court can proceed, citing Delhi and Manipur High Court judgments allowing complaints by former MLAs.
Earlier, the court had questioned the maintainability of the case since Jain was a complainant, not an accused. Jain’s counsel, Rajat Bhardwaj, cited legal precedents supporting the filing. The court has directed amended memos and scheduled arguments on cognisance for May 8.