NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today asked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and four of its members, including Alka Lamba, to submit their written statements in response to a a defamation plea moved against them by former party member Vinod Kumar Binny.
Justice Manmohan Singh also asked Binny to file his written statements and listed the matter before the Joint Registrar on January 7, 2015 for completion of pleadings.
The court was hearing Binny's civil defamation suit seeking damages from AAP, Lamba, and three other party members - Manoj Kumar, Raju Dhinghan and Bandana Kumari - for allegedly maligning his reputation by their "false defamatory remarks and illegal protests".
He has sought from AAP punitive damages of one rupee, to be deposited in a blind school, Rs 50 lakh from Lamba and Rs 50 lakh total from the other three party members.
In his plea filed through advocate Rahul Raj Malik, the legislator has also sought orders restraining the party and its members from "publishing, republishing, issuing statements in debates or any discussion or reporting or publicising in any other manner matter of any kind directly or indirectly implicating or holding the plaintiff (Binny) guilty for remarks posted against the defendants (Lamba and others) by unknown or third persons."
"The reputation of the plaintiff has been severely destroyed by the defendants through the medium of national television channels, print media and also social media with the sole objective of furthering their political ambitions, settling personal scores by resorting to vendetta politics," the plea has alleged.
An FIR was recently lodged by Cyber Cell of Delhi Police against Binny and 37 others under section 66A (sending offensive messages through communication service) of the IT ACT and sections 354D (stalking) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of IPC, on Lamba´s complaint.