‘No case made out’: Delhi court junks defamation plea against Nirmala Sitharaman

A Delhi court dismissed a defamation complaint against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, ruling it lacked merit and was part of political discourse.

A Delhi court on Wednesday dismissed a criminal defamation complaint filed against Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman by the wife of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti, holding that no prima facie case had been made out to proceed in the matter.

AAP leader Somnath Bharti alleged that Sitharaman made malicious statements during a press conference ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (Ht Archive)

Refusing to take cognisance of the complaint, additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) Paras Dalal of Rouse Avenue Courts, in a 31-page order, said the complaint by Lipika Mitra lacked the necessary ingredients to initiate criminal defamation proceedings against the minister.

Terming the complaint “worthless material” that had been “stretched for too long,” the court said the statements made by Sitharaman were nothing more than political discourse among rival parties.

Mitra, represented by Bharti, alleged that Sitharaman made malicious statements during a press conference ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, claiming marital discord between Mitra and Bharti and referring to an alleged physical assault. She alleged that the utterances were made to tarnish Bharti’s reputation and weaken his chances as the opposition candidate from the New Delhi constituency. Bharti lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bansuri Swaraj by over 78,000 votes.

The court observed that none of Sitharaman’s statements could be said to be false imputations, noting that Mitra herself had lodged a complaint of dowry harassment against Bharti in 2015. Though the case was eventually quashed by the Delhi High Court, she did not withdraw the allegations, and her statements remained available on media platforms.

The court noted the minister was targeting a rival political party by referring to an instance of lack of women safety, not specifically targeting or naming Mitra or Bharti.

“Such averments and contentions are not imputation, rather political opposition and antagonism. A political opponent cannot be called to have defamed the other, when they are presenting certain scenarios against an opposing candidate,” the court said.

The court termed the proceedings “valueless”, stating that it had been stretched for too long. Sitharaman was represented by advocate Zoheb Hossain.