Netas who sued each other for defamation

An Assam court recently summoned Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in connection with a defamation case filed against him by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Here is a look at a few politicians who have sued each other for defamation

An Assam court summoned Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on August 19 to appear before it on September 29 in connection with a defamation case filed against him by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after Sisodia accused the latter and his wife of corruption and irregularities in the supply of PPE kits at the height of Covid-19 pandemic.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, Arvind Kejriwal, Nitin Gadkari, Rahul Gandhi, J Jayalalithaa and Manish Sisodia (File Photos)

Here, we take a look at a few politicians who have sued each other for defamation in court:

Jayalalitaa vs Subramanian Swamy

In 2014, Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa filed a defamation case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy in a Chennai court over his remarks related to an issue of the state’s fisherman being detained in Sri Lanka, where he claimed that the boats seized by Sri Lankan authorities belonged to Sasikala, a close associate of the chief minister. She felt that Swamy’s statement had resulted in resentment and anxiety not only among the fisherman community but also among the entire population of Tamil Nadu. Jaylalithaa also filed a defamation case against Swamy one year later in 2015, over posting a “malicious” tweet, speculating about the health of the chief minister, claiming it was posted to tarnish her image. It is interesting to note that Jayalalithaa filed over 1,000 defamation cases during her six terms as the Tamil Nadu chief minister in an effort to silence her rivals, ranging from members of the press to political opponents, with the Supreme Court criticising her in 2016 for misusing the defamation law as a tactic to avoid criticism.

Nitin Gadkari vs Arvind Kejriwal

BJP leader Nitin Gadkari filed a defamation case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal in 2014 after the latter read out a list of ‘corrupt people’ in a press conference prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections which included Nitin Gadkari’s name. Gadkari said that Arvind Kejriwal had defamed him by including his name among a list of the most corrupt people in India. Kejriwal was called before a Delhi court in February 2014 as an accused. Kejriwal declined to seek bail, claiming he was not a criminal. He was subsequently placed in judicial detention by the trial court. In 2018, Kejriwal apologised to Gadkari, following which both of them submitted a joint application in a Delhi court seeking to close the defamation case.

Arun Jaitley vs Arvind Kejriwal

Former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley filed a 10 crore defamation suit against Arvind Kejriwal in 2017 after Kejriwal’s former lawyer Ram Jam Jethmalani allegedly abused him and used scandalous words in open court during the proceedings of an original defamation suit against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders, where he alleged that Kejriwal and his counsel had made a false statement during cross-examination, accusing Jaitely of corruption during his tenure as the head of Delhi and District Cricket Association. Kejriwal dismissed the allegation . However, he and his five party members later apologised to the Union minister, who accepted the apology and following which a joint application to settle the case by both the parties was moved in the Delhi high court.

Rajesh Kunte vs Rahul Gandhi

Rajesh Kunte, an activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) filed a defamation suit against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in 2014 after watching his speech in Bhiwandi in the Thane district, where Gandhi alleged that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. Kunte said that his statement smeared the reputation of the RSS. in 2018, a court in Thane charged Gandhi for defamation in relation to this case, but he pleaded not guilty to the charges. In 2022, the court said that the trial in this defamation suit against Gandhi would begin on a day-to-day basis from February 5. The court adjourned the hearing of the case to October 22, as Gandhi requested exemption, saying that he had to be in Delhi to vote in the election for vice-president on account of being a member of Parliament (MP); Kunte too was unavailable.