NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday issued summons to Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor in a defamation suit filed by former union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, accusing the four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP of tarnishing his image by accusing him of bribing voters during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
A bench of justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav sought Tharoor’s response and fixed April 28 as the next date of hearing before the registrar.
“Let the plaint be registered as a suit. Issue summons returnable by April. List on April 28 before the joint registrar,” the bench said in the order.
In his suit, Rajeev Chandrasekhar has sought ₹10 crore in damages from Tharoor, insisting that allegations levelled against him by Tharoor in a television interview severely damaged his professional and personal reputation. The suit, argued by senior advocate Vaibhav Ghaggar, added that the remarks contributed to Chandrasekhar’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.
Tharoor won the seat for the fourth consecutive time, with a margin of over 16,000 votes against Chandrasekhar.
The BJP leader has also asked the high court to restrain Tharoor from making any defamatory statement against him in public.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP leader has also asked the high court to restrain Tharoor from making any defamatory statement against him in public.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP leader approached the high court months after filing an application before a city court seeking criminal action against the parliamentarian. To be sure, the city court on Monday deferred passing an order in Chandrashekhar’s defamation suit.