Friday, Apr 26, 2024 | Last Update : 12:34 AM IST
Delhi HC exempts CM from appearing in a trial court
The court wasn't inclined to stay the proceedings and thus listed the matter for hearing on Jan 22. The CM sought a stay on the summons issued to him.
New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Thursday issued notice to Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra and the Delhi police seeking their responses on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea to quash a criminal defamation complaint filed by the Bharatiya Janata Partry (BJP) leader.
A bench of justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal also exempted Mr Kejriwal from personal appearance before a trial court on December 11 in the case.
The court was not inclined to stay the proceedings before the trial court and listed the matter for further hearing on January 22. Mr Kejriwal had sought stay on the summons issued to him by the trial court on March 4.
Mr Chandra had on November 17 last year sought the prosecution of the Delhi chief minister for allegedly defaming him by levelling false allegations in the wake of demonetisation.
Advocate Sanjay Hegde and advocate Rishikesh Kumar, appearing for Mr Kejriwal, sought quashing of summons and the complaint filed before the trial court, on the ground that Mr Chandra has not stepped into the witness box to prove his case.
The counsel also submitted that Mr Chandra was an MP, who stayed in Delhi, and he should have personally stepped into the witness box to prove his defamation case like other Union Ministers have done in the past.
“If the trial court admits such proxy complaints which have been filed through power of attorney, it would allow others also file such frivolous complaints in future,” Hegde said. To this, the bench observed that the trial court had passed a detailed order with regard to the summoning of Mr Kejriwal as an accused in the case.
“You are seeking a stay. Please point out the mistake in the trial court’s order,” the bench asked Kejriwal’s counsel. However, it later said let the replies from the police and Mr Chandra come in the matter. In his plea, the chairman of the Essel group alleged that Mr Kejriwal, while addressing a press conference last year, had made “false, fabricated and defamatory allegations” against him.
