Criminal defamation case: Gujarat court summons Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh

The direction was issued on Wednesday as the court observed that prima facie there appeared to be a case against them under Indian Penal Code’s Section 500 (defamation)

A court in Gujarat has directed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh to appear before it on July 13 in connection with a criminal defamation case Gujarat University has filed over their comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh. (ANI)

The direction was issued to the Aam Aadmi Party leaders on Wednesday as the court observed that prima facie there appeared to be a case against them under Indian Penal Code’s Section 500 (defamation).

Kejriwal and Singh’s lawyers appeared before the court on their behalf and moved applications seeking exemption of their clients from appearance and documents related to the complaint.

The defamation case was filed over Kejriwal and Singh’s comments after the Gujarat high court in March set aside the chief information commissioner’s order asking the university to provide information on Modi’s degree. The high court slapped a ₹25,000 fine on Kejriwal, who sought the information.

Singh and Kejriwal have been accused of making “defamatory” statements at press conferences and on Twitter targeting the university over Modi’s degree.