NEW DELHI: In a major relief to RJD leader, Tejashwi Yadav, who was summoned by a Ahmedabad court over his alleged offending remarks against the natives of Gujarat, the Supreme Court in its order on Tuesday quashed the criminal defamation complaint filed against him.
The Apex Court's two-judge bench, headed by Justice Abhay S Oka and also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, in its order today quashed the complaint filed by a Gujarat resident against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader.
The former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, told the bench that he had already withdrawn his remark and also tendered his apology.
The Top Court, today, took into record his statement of apology and disposed of the petition. The Court decided while hearing Yadav's plea, seeking transfer of the criminal defamation complaint pending against him in an Ahmedabad court over his remarks from Gujarat to a 'neutral place', preferably Delhi.
“We have quashed the case in view of petitioner (Yadav) withdrawing his statements on record. Accordingly the case is disposed of,” the bench of the Top Court said, in its order.
Earlier, SC had stayed the proceedings in the criminal defamation complaint against Tejashwi Yadav.
The complaint was filed by Hareshbhai Mehta, a local businessman and activist, in Gujarat, alleging that during a media interaction in Patna in March 2023, he had remarked,“Only Gujaratis can be thugs in the present situation, and their fraud (crime) will be forgiven. Who will be responsible if they abscond after they are offered the money belonging to the LIC and bank?"
Mehta had filed the criminal defamation complaint under sections 499 (Defamation) and 500 (Punishment for Defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Mehta had said that the statement was made in public and calling the entire Gujarati community thugs defames and humiliates all Gujaratis in public.
