New Delhi, July 13, 2023: In a recent development, an Ahmedabad magistrate court has allowed the request for exemption from appearance made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. The court hearing pertains to a criminal defamation case filed against them in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The duo had received summons to appear before the court on April 15, and fresh summons were issued on May 23.
On Thursday, Kejriwal and Singh submitted applications seeking exemption, citing the “unprecedented rains” in Delhi and their involvement in addressing the rain-related issues on the ground. Additional Magistrate SJ Panchal accepted the exemption plea and scheduled the next hearing for July 26.
The defamation complaint was filed by Piyush Patel, the registrar of Gujarat University, who accused Kejriwal of defaming the university through his statements. Kejriwal had allegedly made remarks suggesting that the university was trying to hide Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualifications. Patel also claimed that Singh’s statement about the Prime Minister attempting to prove a fake degree as genuine was defamatory.
According to the complaint, the defamatory statements were made by Kejriwal during a press conference on April 1, while Singh made similar remarks at a subsequent press conference on April 2. These statements were widely broadcast on social media platforms like Twitter, further damaging the reputation of the university.
It is worth noting that the Gujarat High Court had previously set aside an order by the Central Information Commission, which had directed the university to provide information about Prime Minister Modi’s degrees. Kejriwal and Singh made their remarks in response to this development.
The court’s earlier order directing Kejriwal to pay Rs 25,000 in damages is currently under review and is expected to be heard on July 21.
