SC extends stay on defamation case proceedings against Kejriwal, Atishi

As Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Babbar, who filed a complaint, sought time to file a reply, a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti granted four weeks time to him.

Earlier, the apex court had issued notice to Delhi Police and the complainant and sought their responses in the matter.

In the meanwhile, proceedings before the trial court will remain stayed in the defamation case, the apex court had said.

Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi approached the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court's refusal to quash the criminal defamation case by BJP leader Rajeev Babbar filed over their remarks on the alleged deletion of voter names from the electoral roll in the national capital in 2018.

Atishi and Kejriwal have challenged the September 2 order of the Delhi High Court.

They had made remarks on the alleged deletion of names of 30 lakh voters belonging to some communities from electoral rolls in 2018.

The High Court had said the imputations were prima facie "defamatory" with the intention of vilifying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and gaining undue political mileage.

The High Court had dismissed the plea by Atishi, Kejriwal and others challenging the defamation proceedings pending before the trial court. The defamation complaint also named two other AAP leaders, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Manoj Kumar.

It had also directed the AAP leaders to attend the trial court hearing scheduled for October 3.

Kejriwal and the other AAP leaders had challenged in the High Court the trial court's decision, which upheld the summons issued by the magistrate court following Babbar's complaint.

The AAP leaders, before the High Court, sought to quash the magistrate court's March 15, 2019, order and the Sessions court's January 28, 2020, order, labelling the complaint as "politically motivated" saying Babbar was not an aggrieved party. (ANI)