LI Network
Published on: 12 August 2023 at 11:40 IST
The Gujarat High Court has dismissed the plea put forth by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh, seeking a halt to the ongoing criminal defamation proceedings filed by Gujarat University.
The university lodged the defamation case in connection with remarks made by the leaders concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.
Justice Samir Dave, while rejecting the stay on the defamation proceedings taking place in a metropolitan court, pointed out that both Kejriwal and Singh had previously committed to appearing before the sessions court to record their statements.
The judge emphasized, “You have to remain present…you are avoiding court appearance.”
A metropolitan court had earlier summoned Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha member Singh on August 11 as respondents in the defamation case initiated by Gujarat University.
The case was filed due to their alleged “sarcastic” and “derogatory” remarks related to PM Modi’s educational qualification.
In response to the summons, the AAP leaders submitted a revision application to the sessions court, challenging the summoning order by the metropolitan court.
However, the sessions court recently rejected their application, prompting them to escalate the matter to the Gujarat High Court.