Delhi HC issues notice to Shashi Tharoor on Rajeev Chandrasekhar's defamation plea

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the stand of Shashi Tharoor on BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar's plea challenging the dismissal of his defamation complaint against the Congress MP. Justice Ravinder Dudeja said the "matter required consideration" as he issued notice on Chandrasekhar's revision petition challenging the magisterial court's February 4 decision. Chandrasekhar alleged that Tharoor defamed him by making "false" and "derogatory" statements on national television, claiming the BJP leader "bribed" voters in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Tharoor, according to Chandrasekhar, made the allegations "with the intent to lower his reputation and to impact the result of the last general elections while knowing fully well that the statements were false". During the hearing, the senior counsel appearing for Chandrasekhar said the lower court ignored the evidence to rule that no case of defamation was made out. Additional chief judicial magistrate Paras Dalal on February 4 refused to summon Tharoor, saying prima facie "no ingredients of defamation" was made in the complaint. The matter would be heard next on September 16.