Jaitley sues Kejriwal again over lawyer’s remark in HC

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley filed on Monday a second defamation suit against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, seeking ₹10 crore in damages for calling him a “crook” during a hearing in a libel case last week.

The legal action compounded the Aam Aadmi Party leader’s troubles. Kejriwal is battling bribery charges by a former colleague and internal feuds after losses in the Punjab and Goa assembly elections this April and the municipal polls in New Delhi.

Jaitley charged the chief minister and five of his party colleagues with defamation in 2015.

The AAP politicians accused the BJP leader of corruption when he was president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for 13 years since 2000. Jaitley dismissed the charges as false.

Last week, while cross-examining Jaitley in that case, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Kejriwal, referred to the finance minister as “crook”. “This statement is not only false, baseless, malicious and abusive, but is per se defamatory,” the new petition filed by Jaitley said.

FACes 3 defAmAtion CAses filed By FM JAitley, former minister KApil SiBAl’s son And BJP leAder ChetAn ChAuhAn

FACes proBe into AllegAtions of shielding wAter mAfiA filed By former wAter minister KApil MishrA

FACes proBe relAted to AllegAtions of reCeiving BriBe from CABinet minister SAtyendrA JAin

Not ACCused in Any CAse, But nAme mentioned in FIR relAted to deAth of fArmer GAjendrA Singh

“Clearly, the defendant (Kejriwal) has brazenly and with a malafide intent to cause further prejudice, damage and loss to the name, reputation and credibility of the plaintiff (Jaitley) has deliberately used the terminology of ‘crook’ against the plaintiff,” the petition added.

Jethmalani told the court that he used the word against Jaitley under Kejriwal’s instructions.

But Anupam Srivastav, the advocate on record for Kejriwal,