E-Paper
PM Modi degree row: Gujarat HC refuses to stay summons issued to AAP leaders
The defamation complaint was moved by Gujarat University registrar Piyush Patel. According to Patel, Kejriwal made such defamatory utterances at a press conference on April 1 and Singh made such utterances at a second press conference on April 2
The Gujarat high court on Thursday refused to stay the summons issued to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP, by a magistrate’s court in a defamation case filed by the Gujarat University in connection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualification.
Justice JC Doshi while hearing their joint petitions seeking quashing of the summons issued by the trial court, issued notice to the Gujarat University and state government on Thursday and posted the matter for a detailed hearing on November 3.
The magistrate court in Ahmedabad, which is conducting the trial in the defamation case, will take up the matter on October 14.
The two AAP leaders have contested the summons issued by an Ahmedabad magistrate court in a criminal defamation complaint lodged by the Gujarat University against them.
Additionally, they are pursuing the annulment of an Ahmedabad sessions court order, which had upheld the summons issued by the magistrate court.
The magistrate’s court in Ahmedabad which is conducting the trial in the defamation case had issued summons to the AAP leaders in April.
Kejriwal and Singh were initially summoned by a magistrate court to appear before it on April 15, and subsequently, a fresh summons was issued on May 23.
In response, the two AAP leaders approached the high court on September 16, where they sought to challenge the April summons and requested its annulment.
Kejriwal and Singh allegedly made derogatory statements defaming the varsity over the controversy pertaining to PM Modi’s academic degree.
The defamation complaint was moved by Gujarat University registrar Piyush Patel. According to Patel, Kejriwal made such defamatory utterances at a press conference on April 1 and Singh made such utterances at a second press conference on April 2.
