HC dismisses AAP leader’s plea against Jaitley

The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed the plea filed by AAP leader Deepak Bajpai challenging a trial court order summoning him in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Union minister Arun Jaitley.

Justice I.S. Mehta, who pronounced the order inchamber, said Mr Bajpai has failed to explain the delay of 458 days in filing the revision petition and his plea for condonation of this delay “lacks justifiable and bonafide grounds”.

The court sources said the plea to condone the delay was dismissed on the ground that it was “misuse of process of law” and “consequently the plea is also dismissed”.

The order came on Mre Bajpai’s plea who along with others was put on trial in the defamation case filed by Jaitley against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders in row surrounding the DDCA.

Mr Bajpai had challenged the lower court’s separate orders summoning and framing notice against him for the alleged offence of defamation.

He had also challenged another order by which his application seeking to be heard on the point of notice was also rejected by the court.

The high court, in its 18page order, said Mr Bajpai had not challenged the trial court’s orders of March 9, 2016, January 30 and March. He had later challenged them just to avail a fresh process under the garb of his application under the Limitation Act which “factually is misuse of process of law”.