Delhi HC issues notice to Arvind Kejriwal in fresh defamation case
This is the second civil defamation case filed by Arun Jaitley against Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi high court
New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Tuesday issued a notice to Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal over a fresh civil defamation suit brought against him by finance minister Arun Jaitley, seeking Rs10 crore in damages.
The suit claims lawyer Ram Jethmalani, on behalf of his client Kejriwal, made derogatory remarks against Jaitley during the proceedings of another defamation suit between the two. The objectionable and defamatory remarks were made during earlier court proceedings and were duly recorded by the court.
This is the second civil defamation case by Jaitley against Kejriwal in Delhi high court. A total of Rs20 crore is being sought under the two civil cases.
On 17 May, at a round of cross-examination, Jethmalani had referred to Jaitley as a “crook" and “guilty of crimes and crookery". When questioned by the court, he clarified that he had obtained specific instructions from his client Kejriwal to say so.
Jaitley, in his plea, alleged that the remark/statement was “not only false, baseless, malicious and abusive, but also defamatory in nature".
It was added that the plaintiff had attempted to cause further damage to the reputation of the finance minister by making such remarks in an open courtroom. Such statements have been made with a mala fide intent to cause further prejudice, damage and loss to the name, reputation and credibility of the plaintiff, the plea said.
Jaitley has also brought another civil defamation case against Kejriwal and some other AAP leaders in the Delhi high court for making allegations of financial irregularities that dated back to the time the finance minister was president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) in the 2000-01 to 2012-13 period.
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