Defamation case against Nirmala Sitharaman: Court imposes Rs 5,000 after complainant skips hearing

A Delhi court on Wednesday imposed Rs 5,000 fine on Lipika Mitra for being absent in the hearing over her criminal defamation complaint against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Mitra is the wife of former AAP MLA Somnath Bharti.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Paras Dalal said, "None is present on behalf of the complainant side, and even none appeared on behalf of the complainant side through video-conferencing (VC)."


The judge noted that during the last hearing, the date and time were fixed according to the convenience of both parties.

He said, "In view of non-appearance, a cost of Rs 5,000 is imposed on the complainant (Mitra) to be deposited with the Central Delhi Court Bar Association."

The judge provided the last opportunity to Mitra to file a reply and address arguments, and posted the matter on August 2.

The complaint claimed that Sitharaman made "defamatory, false, and malicious statements" in a press conference on May 17, 2024, with the sole intention to tarnish the reputation of Bharti and weaken his chances of winning in the general elections.

According to the complaint, the utterances were made "solely with an intent to hurt the complainant and her husband" for political gains to the BJP's candidate and political loss to the complainant's husband during the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

The accused, it said, spoke about the matrimonial discord of the complainant and her husband but withheld the information of their reunion and living together happily.