GG News Bureau
Gandhinagar, 16th Feb. The Gujarat High Court delivered a verdict on Friday, rejecting the pleas filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh to dismiss the summons issued against them in a criminal defamation case related to their remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualifications.
Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, and AAP’s Rajya Sabha member, Sanjay Singh, had challenged the summons issued by a trial court in response to a case filed by Gujarat University. The university accused them of making derogatory comments regarding PM Modi’s educational background.
Justice Hasmukh Suthar dismissed their applications and directed them to present their arguments before the trial court. The AAP leaders sought to invalidate the summons, arguing that Gujarat University should have pursued the case in the sessions court rather than a magistrate court.
Last year in April, the metropolitan court summoned Kejriwal and Singh over the alleged defamatory statements made during press conferences and on social media platforms. Despite their subsequent appeals and revisions, the sessions court upheld the summons.
Following the rejection of their plea by the Gujarat High Court, Kejriwal and Singh also approached the Supreme Court, which declined to intervene in the matter. Consequently, the High Court instructed the sessions court to expedite the hearing within ten days under a new bench.
The defamation case stemmed from comments made by Kejriwal and Singh after the Central Information Commission (CIC) directed Delhi University and Gujarat University to disclose information about PM Modi’s academic credentials in 2016. Gujarat University, dissatisfied with the CIC order, filed a case against the AAP leaders, alleging intentional defamation that tarnished the university’s reputation.
The court not only upheld the summons but also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on Kejriwal. Despite their objections, the court refused to suspend the order.
