NEW DELHI: A court here on Friday took cognisance of a defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for recently using a derogatory word for Delhi Police personnel.
Metropolitan Magistrate Anu Aggarwal granted opportunity to the complainant, constable Harvinder, posted at Govindpuri police station in south Delhi, to substantiate his allegation made in the complaint by leading further evidence.
The court listed the matter for September 10 for examining the complainant's witnesses.
Station House Officer Govindpuri and a head constable, who are witnesses in the case, were asked to appear before the court on the next date of hearing.
The court was hearing a private complaint filed by Harvinder, who has alleged that Kejriwal's usage of word 'Thulla' had harmed the reputation of the complainant in the eyes of the general public, including his family, relatives and friends.
The complaint, filed by advocate L.N. Rao, claimed "the 'Thulla' remark made by a person of the stature of chief minister demoralised Delhi Police and it was intended to provoking breach of peace".
"...Using a derogatory and demeaning term like 'Thulla' to refer to police personnel is equivalent to referring to all Delhi Police officials as lethargic and unproductive," the complainant said in his plea and requested the court to summon Kejriwal for the alleged offence under Section 500 (defamation) and 504 (insult intended to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
"Being in a constitutional position as chief minister of Delhi, the capital of India, Arvind Kejriwal has immense influence and reach across the public space and his words impact the public view of Delhi Police," the constable said.