The counsel for Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday opposed a joint application by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others seeking a Delhi court’s permission to address argument at the stage of framing of notice (charge) in a defamation case.
The Union Minister has filed a criminal defamation case against the Chief Minister and five other AAP leaders for allegedly linking him to alleged corruption in the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA).
Opposing the application, counsel for the Minister, Sidharth Luthra along with Manoj Taneja, submitted before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass that there was a settled law in a summons case that the court had no option but to frame notice against the accused persons.
They also submitted copies of certain judgements having bearing on the issue.
The two lawyers further submitted that the accused persons could not be discharged at the stage of framing of notice.
Later, Mr. Dass posted the matter on November 26 for further arguments on the application.
In March, the court had summoned Mr. Kejriwal and AAP leaders Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Raghav Chaddha, Deepak Bajpai and Sanjay Singh after recording the statements of Mr. Jaitley and other witnesses in support of the allegation of defamation.
Mr. Jaitley had said in his evidence that he did not receive a single rupee from the DDCA on any account during his presidential term between 1999 and 1913.
“Between December 1999 and December 2013, I was the president of DDCA. I discharged my functions lawfully and with utmost integrity. During my tenure I have not received directly or indirectly a single rupee from the DDCA on any account whatsoever. I have not even charged any amount towards expenditure,” Mr. Jaitley said in his evidence.
The court had also examined, among others, Rajat Sharma, who is chairman and editor-in-chief of India TV, as a witness in support of Mr. Jaitley. He said that he was very disturbed about the reputation of the complainant (Mr. Jaitley) when he saw the allegations that Rs. 57 crore had been siphoned off during his tenure as DDCA president.
Mr. Jaitley has sought prosecution of Mr. Kejriwal and the five AAP leaders for allegedly defaming him and his family by accusing him of taking illegal pecuniary benefits from the DDCA when he was heading it.
