PM degree defamation case: Gujarat HC dismisses Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh’s pleas for separate trials
The Single Bench of Justice, Mr. Mengdey, dismissed the pleas filed by former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha member Singh, who approached the high court after the hearing, and the city sessions courts dismissed their applications.
Gujarat University registrar Piyush Patel has filed a defamation case citing “sarcastic and derogatory” statements made by two AAP leaders against the university in connection with PM Modi’s degree.
The duo requested that separate lawsuits be filed for various reasons, including the claim that the accusations against them were different and separate, and even the dates of the incidents were different.
The two leaders were issued summons by the court and prima facie it appeared that there was a case against them under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Kejriwal and Singh allegedly made these comments in April 2023 after the Gujarat High Court set aside the Information Commissioner’s order for the disclosure of Prime Minister Modi’s rank.
Allegedly defamatory statements targeting Gujarat University were made at press conferences and on social media platforms, including Twitter. The complainant stated that these remarks tarnished the reputation of Gujarat University, which had strengthened its reputation among the public. He claimed that the statements were sarcastic and deliberately aimed to tarnish the image of the university and were widely shared in the media and social media with the same intention.
The leaders wanted the hearing to be held separately and appealed to the court, but the court rejected their defense.
Kejriwal and Singh then approached the sessions court, which rejected their plea on December 15 last year; They observed, however, that both made the statements in question on 1 and 2 April 2023 as members of the same political party and that, with the continuity of their actions, they appeared to be “engaged in a single transaction animated by a common purpose”.
