Today, On 4th January, A Delhi court dismissed a criminal defamation complaint filed against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. The complaint, filed by Chandrasekhar, alleged that Tharoor made derogatory claims, accusing him of bribing voters in Thiruvananthapuram during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The court found no sufficient grounds to proceed with the case.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed a criminal defamation case filed against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor by BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Chandrasekhar had alleged that Tharoor defamed him by making false and derogatory statements on national television, claiming that the BJP leader bribed voters in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
According to Chandrasekhar, Tharoor made these allegations intending to damage his reputation and influence the outcome of the recent general elections, fully aware that the statements were untrue.
The complaint stated,
“The interview(s) was/were published by various news channels as well as on social media platforms at the behest of the proposed accused and resulted in loss of reputation of the complainant in society, which ultimately resulted in the complainant losing the Lok Sabha Elections, 2024,”
The court had taken cognizance of the complaint in September of last year.
Chandrasekhar filed the complaint following an interview on April 10, where he accused Tharoor of spreading false and misleading information to the voters of Thiruvananthapuram.
Tharoor allegedly claimed that Chandrasekhar involved in bribing key voters and influential figures, including parish priests. Chandrasekhar expressed his shock over the allegations, which made during an interview with the Kerala-based news outlet ’24 News.’
The BJP leader since demanded a public apology from Tharoor, warning of legal consequences if the statements are not retracted.
The notice further accuses Tharoor of making defamatory statements “with the intent to harm” Chandrasekhar, claiming that these allegations have disrespected the Christian community in Thiruvananthapuram by insinuating their involvement in vote-buying activities.
The notice demands a public apology within 24 hours, emphasizing that the statements made with “malicious intent to tarnish” Chandrasekhar’s reputation ahead of the elections.
The legal notice issued soon after Shashi Tharoor allegedly violated Rule I(2) of the Model Code of Conduct, which mandates that political candidates limit their criticisms to “policies and programmes, past records, and work,” and prohibits criticism based on “unverified allegations or distortions.”
Tharoor’s claims, aired on ’24 News,’ suggested that Rajeev Chandrasekhar offered money to key voters, including religious leaders such as parish priests, without providing verifiable evidence.
Tharoor also accused of breaching sub-section 3 of section 123 of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951, by appealing to voters’ religious identities a practice deemed corrupt by the Supreme Court in the Abhiram Singh vs. CD Commachen case (Civil Appeal No. 37/1992).