Jaitley files defamation suits on Kejri, 5 others
■ Both civil, criminal action ■ 10- cr damages sought ■ Civil case hearing likely today; other set for Jan. 5
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday filed criminal and civil defamation suits against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and five other Aam Aadmi Party leaders for levelling charges of alleged financial irregularities in the Delhi District Cricket Association during his 14year term as its chief. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal hit back, saying Mr Jaitley “should not try to scare us by filing cases”. The CM said his fight against corruption will go on, and that the Union finance minister should cooperate with the Delhi government’s commission of inquiry to establish his innocence.
Taking cognisance of the criminal complaint, chief metropolitan magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal said: “The present complaint has been filed in a personal capacity. On perusing the material on record, I take cognisance of the offences. The matter be now put up for complainant evidence on January 5.”
During the 35- minute hearing, Mr Jaitley and several BJP leaders, including Union ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu, J. P. Nadda, Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore were present in court. Besides Mr Kejriwal, the finance minister has filed complaints against AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpai for their alleged defamatory remarks.
The Patiala House courts in the heart of New Delhi saw the rare spectacle of a senior Union minister walking amid a jostling crowd of BJP supporters, who shouted slogans against Mr Kejriwal, to enter the CMM’s courtroom. Mr Jaitley came to the court a little after lunch at 2.05 pm.
In his civil defamation case in the Delhi high court, Mr Jaitley has sought ` 10 crores in damages and prosecution of the CM and other AAP leaders and action againt them for offences that could invite punishment of up to two years in jail.
In the lower court, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, who appeared for Mr Jaitley, told the CMM that the accused AAP leaders had made completely baseless, defamatory allegations against the finance minister regarding alleged financial irregularities in the DDCA. “Mr Jaitley has not drawn a single penny from the DDCA. Completely baseless and defamatory allegations have been levelled against him and his family members,” Mr Luthra said.
Mr Luthra told the court that they have made defamatory statements against Mr Jaitley not only at a press conference but also on their Twitter accounts. The complaint was filed for alleged offences under Sections 499 ( defamation), 500 ( pun-
- ishment for defamation), 501 ( printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 502 ( sale of printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter), and 34 ( common intention) and 35 ( when such an act is criminal by reason of it being done with a criminal knowledge or intention) of IPC.
Mr Luthra said these AAP leaders had made false allegations on Mr Jaitley about his alleged role in a firm, 21st Century Media Pvt Ltd. “Neither Jaitley nor any of his family members have any connection with 21st Century Media Pvt Ltd. The records of the Registrar of Companies can be summoned to see that Jaitley has no connection whatsoever with this firm,” he said.
Mr Luthra argued these leaders had deliberately and with mala fide design made false allegations on Mr Jaitley to create an impression that money had been siphoned off. He said these defamatory statements had damaged the reputation of Mr Jaitley and caused irreversible damage to him.
“Mr Jaitley has not taken any pecuniary advantage from DDCA at all. There are DDCA records which can be summoned. These statements by the AAP leaders are politically motivated,” he said, reading out the tweets of these AAP leaders. To this, the magistrate asked: “Have you placed any records of DDCA?” To this query, Mr Luthra said: “No. I ( Jaitley) am not ( an) office- bearer of DDCA since 2013. We can summon the necessary records.”
Towards the end of the hearing, the senior counsel asked the court if Mr Jaitley’s statement could be recorded on Monday itself. The court, however, said this was not possible, and fixed January 5, 2016 for the recording of the complainant’s evidence.
Mr Jaitley also filed a civil suit in the Delhi HC against Mr Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders over allegedly false and defamatory statements against him and his family members. Mr Jaitley’s counsel, advocate Manik Dogra, said the civil suit, in which he has sought ` 10 crores in damages, will come up in the normal course of listing. In the civil suit, he said, “by all acts of omissions and commissions by the defendants, including making false, baseless, scandalous, malicious statements/ allegations against the plaintiff, they have made themselves liable individually and collectively for the irreversible and unquantifiable damage caused to the plaintiff.” “All defendants individually and collectively have made themselves liable to compensate the plaintiff for a sum of ` 10 crores,” the plea said.