PM’s degree: Court starts hearing pleas of Kejriwal in defamation case

A sessions court on Wednesday began hearing pleas of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh challenging summons issued to them by a trial court hearing a criminal defamation case against them.

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha member Singh are facing a criminal defamation case filed by the Gujarat University over their “sarcastic” and “derogatory” statements in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.

Their matters were heard in the court of sessions judge JM Brahmbhatt, days after the Gujarat High Court directed them to be assigned to another judge as the one presiding over the matter earlier went on leave.

The high court, in its recent order, directed the principal judge of the sessions court to transfer their matters to another court and get them decided within 10 days from the date on which they are assigned.

The court heard the lawyers representing Kejriwal and Singh at length and kept the next hearing on September 8.

The lawyers for the two AAP leaders argued that the summoning order issued by the trial court was wrong and that Gujarat University could not file a defamation case. They said that no case was made against the two leaders.

The two leaders had moved revision pleas before the sessions court challenging the summons issued by the trial court, but the matters were kept for the next hearing on September 16.