The Supreme Court of India has extended the interim stay in the criminal defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leader Atishi. The case had been filed for their 2018 remarks which stated that the names of around 30 lakh people were struck off from the voter list in Delhi, reportedly targeting certain sections of society.
The complaint, initiated by a BJP leader, accused Kejriwal and Atishi of issuing false and defamatory statements against the party. A lower court had already taken cognizance of the case, and the AAP leaders had moved higher courts to appeal against the ruling.
A Supreme Court bench, in hearing the case, allowed four weeks to the complainant for filing a response. The suspension of trial court proceedings will stand during this duration.
The court, during the hearing, also observed that politicians should be willing to face criticism and must prepare themselves to handle a certain kind of resilience as public figures generally face criticism and allegations in politics.
Kejriwal and Atishi have argued that their comments were made on the basis of publicly available information and were not made with intent to defame any person or party.The case is listed for hearing subsequently after the response of the complainant. The case of defamation will continue to be kept in abeyance until then.
