Arun Jaitley files defamation suit against Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders in Delhi HC

NEW DELHi: Finance minister Arun Jaitley has filed civil and criminal defamation cases against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders in connection with the Delhi and District Club Association’s alleged scam. Jaitley sought Rs 10 crore in damages as well as prosecution of Kejriwal and his party leaders for offences which attract punishment of up to two years imprisonment.

While the civil defamation suit was filed in the Delhi high court, the criminal defamation complaint was filed in the Patiala House district court. Several Union ministers, including M Venkaiah Naidu, Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan and JP Nadda accompanied Jaitley to the district court and later said they were expressing solidarity with him as he is a man of "impeccable integrity". Apart from Kejriwal, the other AAP leaders mentioned in both petitions are Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpai.

The complaint was filed under various sections of the IPC, including 499 (defamation), 500 (punishment), 501 and 502 (printing and sale of defamatory matter), 34 (common intention) and 35 (when such an act is criminal by reason of its being done with a criminal knowledge or intention).