New Delhi, August 25, 2023: The Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging a high court order that denied his request to halt the criminal defamation proceedings initiated by Gujarat University.
The university had filed the defamation case against Kejriwal and AAP leader Sanjay Singh following alleged remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualifications.
The case revolves around comments made by Kejriwal and Singh after the Gujarat High Court annulled a Chief Information Commissioner order to disclose information about Modi’s degrees under the RTI Act. Gujarat University Registrar Piyush Patel lodged the defamation complaint against the AAP leaders.
A bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti stated that they would not issue notice on the plea, as the matter is under consideration by the Gujarat High Court, with a hearing scheduled for August 29. The Supreme Court advised both the Gujarat University and Kejriwal to address their concerns before the high court.
Kejriwal’s counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, argued that the high court’s denial of an interim stay on the defamation proceedings was incorrect. However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the University, alleged suppression of facts by Kejriwal.
The defamation case pertains to statements made by Kejriwal and Singh at press conferences and on social media, targeting the Gujarat University over Modi’s degree. The Gujarat High Court had invalidated a 2016 order by the Central Information Commission directing the university to disclose Modi’s degree information to Kejriwal.
The high court characterized Kejriwal’s RTI request as “politically vexatious and motivated” rather than being driven by “sound public interest considerations.”
The matter is set to be heard in the Gujarat metropolitan court on August 31. Kejriwal’s appeal to the Sessions Court against the summons will be taken up on September 16.
