SC stays criminal defamation proceedings against Delhi CM Atishi, Kejriwal

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the trial proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed by Delhi BJP leader Rajiv Babbar against Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal over their remarks on the alleged deletion of names of 30 lakh voters belonging to some communities from the electoral rolls.

A Bench led by Justice Hrishikesh Roy asked Babbar to respond to the petition filed by the AAP leaders challenging the Delhi High Court’s order refusing to quash the defamation case against them.

Atishi and Kejriwal have challenged the September 2 order of the Delhi High Court refusing to quash the proceedings against them and other AAP leaders over their remarks on alleged deletion of voters’ names.

Babbar alleged that the allegation prima facie lowered the reputation of the BJP.

The Delhi High Court had dismissed the plea filed by Atishi, Kejriwal, former Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Gupta and AAP leader Manoj Kumar, challenging the defamation proceedings pending before the trial court, saying the imputations were prima facie “defamatory” and intended to vilify the BJP.

The order came after senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted on behalf of the AAP leaders that Babbar had filed the defamation case as an authorised representative of Delhi BJP.

“The BJP, neither central nor Delhi, has filed any complaint. Babbar is not the person I have allegedly defamed,” Singhvi contended.

On behalf of Babbar, senior counsel Sonia Mathur submitted that her client filed the case on behalf of the BJP.