The defamation lawsuit against Kejriwal and Singh was initiated by Gujarat University, accusing them of making slanderous remarks about the University’s refusal to disclose PM Modi’s degree details.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has put a hold on the defamation proceedings against prominent political figures Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh. This case is rooted in a controversy involving the educational qualifications of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The origins of the case can be traced back to a ruling by the Gujarat High Court in March 2023. The court had determined that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was not obligated to disclose Prime Minister Modi’s degree and post-graduate degree certificates under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act). This ruling was a response to an order from the Chief Information Commission (CIC), which had initially directed the public information officers (PIOs) of the PMO, Gujarat University, and Delhi University to provide details regarding Modi’s educational credentials.
Justice Biren Vaishnav of the Gujarat High Court not only set aside the CIC’s order but also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on Arvind Kejriwal. The court’s decision was influenced by the perception that Kejriwal had misused the RTI Act for political purposes. In November 2023, when a review plea was filed challenging the correctness of this verdict, Justice Vaishnav upheld his original decision, reiterating that the imposition of costs on Kejriwal was justified due to the politicization of the issue.
Following this, in December 2023, Kejriwal escalated the matter by filing an appeal against the single-judge’s decision before a division bench of the High Court. This appeal is currently pending.
The Supreme Court’s intervention to stay the defamation proceedings marks a crucial turn in this ongoing legal saga. It reflects the judiciary’s careful consideration of the complexities involved in cases that intertwine political discourse with legal boundaries. The decision to halt the defamation case will likely have significant implications for the discourse surrounding political figures and their use of legal mechanisms like the RTI Act.
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES
