SC dismisses Kejriwal plea in Modi academic degree defamation case

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea filed by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal against a decision by the Gujarat High Court refusing to interfere with the orders issued by a metropolitan court seeking his personal presence in a criminal defamation case concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's academic degree.

“We are not inclined to issue notice in the present special leave petition as the matter is still sub judice before the High Court and and fixed for hearing on 29 August,” said a bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S.V.N. Bhatti.

The SC said that it "hopes and trusts" that Gujarat High Court will decide the pending petition on 29 August, while allowing solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, who represented Gujarat University, to raise all his contentions before the High court.

On 11 August, the High Court had declined to grant interim relief to Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh in a criminal defamation complaint filed by Gujarat University until the disposal of their revision plea challenging the summons issued to them.

The defamation case emanates from derogatory statements allegedly made by Kejriwal and Singh concerning Prime Minister Modi's academic degree.

A metropolitan court in Ahmedabad had summoned both the politicians on 11 August in the case.

On 5 August, the City Civil & Sessions Court in Ahmedabad had rejected their plea to stay the proceedings in the trial pending the disposal of their revision plea.

In response, the two AAP leaders approached Gujarat High Court, praying for an expeditious hearing of their revision plea.

Kejriwal had contended that since the order of the magistrate's court issuing the summons had been challenged, the Sessions Court should have stayed the defamation case proceedings until the disposal of the revision plea.

The High Court had noted that Kejriwal himself had given an undertaking to appear, and therefore, he should not avoid appearing before the court.