Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a former chief minister of Delhi, filed a petition challenging the criminal defamation case against him due to comments he made regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational background. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal today.
Gujarat University launched a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Kejriwal because of remarks he made in public and at press conferences, whereby he cast doubt on Prime Minister Modi’s educational background—specifically, his degree from Gujarat University. Gujarat University saw these comments as disparaging and detrimental to its standing. As a result, Mr. Kejriwal and AAP leader Sanjay Singh were sued for criminal defamation by the university’s registrar, Piyush Patel.
The case began in 2016 when the Delhi University and Gujarat University were ordered to provide information on PM Modi’s degree by the Central Information Commission (CIC), in response to Mr. Kejriwal’s call for transparency. The Gujarat High Court, however, maintained the CIC’s July 2016 ruling in a countermove, halting the information’s release.
After his initial petition was denied by the Gujarat High Court in February, Mr. Kejriwal filed his present appeal with the Supreme Court. He requested the revocation of the criminal defamation indictment against him that was issued by a Gujarati trial court, which had ordered him to appear for interrogation about remarks he had made regarding PM Modi’s educational background. Sanjay Singh, his co-accused, has also submitted a similar appeal contesting the proceedings.
But a Supreme Court bench made up of Justices SVN Bhatti and Hrishikesh Roy decisively rejected Mr. Kejriwal’s case.
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