The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging summons issued against him in a criminal defamation case filed by the Gujarat University Registrar. The case centres on Kejriwal’s remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s academic degree.
A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti rejected Kejriwal’s plea, citing an earlier ruling on a similar petition by AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was denied relief in the same case by a separate bench on April 8.
Senior advocate A M Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, attempted to distinguish between the statements made by Singh and Kejriwal, but the bench maintained that it had to follow a consistent legal approach. Singhvi argued that the defamation case was an attempt to disqualify Kejriwal from public life for questioning the Prime Minister’s academic qualifications. He also questioned the legitimacy of the defamation complaint filed by Gujarat University’s Registrar, Piyush M Patel, stating that if anyone should have been offended by the remarks, it would be Modi, not the university.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta referred to a Gujarat High Court order, which had previously imposed a penalty on Kejriwal for filing a Right to Information (RTI) request about Modi’s degree—a document already available on the university’s website.
Singhvi attempted to submit a chart showing the differences between Kejriwal’s and Singh’s statements, along with an expression of regret. However, Mehta opposed this, accusing Kejriwal of a pattern of making defamatory statements and later expressing regret, referring to the case involving the late Arun Jaitley.
The bench advised Kejriwal’s counsel that if the case proceeded on its merits, the petitioner would be unable to withdraw the plea, and a decision would be made accordingly.
The defamation case stems from comments made by Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh on 1st and 2nd April 2023, which the Gujarat University claims were “sarcastic and derogatory” regarding Modi’s degree, thereby damaging the university’s reputation. The Gujarat High Court had earlier set aside an order by the Chief Information Commissioner regarding the Prime Minister’s degree, leading to the current legal proceedings.
Kejriwal had challenged a Gujarat High Court ruling from 16th February, which refused to quash the summons against him.
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