The civil judge (senior division) of the Lucknow district court found AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh guilty of making false and fabricated allegations against BJP leader and former minister in the state government, Mahendra Kumar Singh. The court imposed a fine of ₹one lakh on Sanjay Singh and directed him to remove all video footage and social media posts where he had leveled false accusations against Mahendra Singh.
The court specified that if the AAP leader fails to pay the fine within the next two months, the amount will accrue interest at a rate of six percent from the date of judgment. Kamal Kant Gupta, civil judge (senior division), passed the order on January 2 in a defamation case filed by Mahendra Singh, who served as a cabinet minister in the Jal Shakti department during the first tenure of the Yogi Adityanath government.
Sanjay Singh had convened a press conference on August 8, 2021, at the party office in Lucknow, during which he accused Mahendra Singh of embezzling funds amounting to ₹30,000 crore in his ministry. Advocate Prashant Singh ‘Atal’ represented the former minister in court.
In the eight-page order, the court observed that Sanjay Singh failed to produce any documents in court to substantiate his allegations against Mahendra Kumar Singh. The court made serious observations against the AAP leader in its order, stating, “The false, fallacious, and fabricated allegations have been made by the defendant (Sanjay Singh) with ulterior motives against the plaintiff (Mahendra Kumar Singh).”
The court added that the AAP leader leveled these allegations only to demean and slander the image of Mahendra Kumar Singh, to gain political mileage and cheap publicity for himself, and to create a base for the AAP in Uttar Pradesh. The court also noted that Sanjay Singh has a habit of making derogatory and defamatory statements against his political rivals and reputable persons in society.
{{/usCountry}}The court added that the AAP leader leveled these allegations only to demean and slander the image of Mahendra Kumar Singh, to gain political mileage and cheap publicity for himself, and to create a base for the AAP in Uttar Pradesh. The court also noted that Sanjay Singh has a habit of making derogatory and defamatory statements against his political rivals and reputable persons in society.
{{/usCountry}}Advocate Prashant Singh stated, “All allegations against Mahendra Singh have been proven false and baseless. The court has ordered AAP leader Sanjay Singh to pay a fine of ₹one lakh and to remove all social media posts related to false allegations against Mahendra Singh.”
The court had issued several summons to Sanjay Singh. When he failed to appear before the court, the case proceeded ex-parte on April 13, 2022. It’s worth noting that Sanjay Singh is currently lodged in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail in connection with a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate related to the Delhi excise policy.