Submit DDCA papers in a week, High Court tells Kejriwal

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders on a civil defamation suit filed against them by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Joint Registrar issued notice to Kejriwal and other AAP leaders, on the suit by Jaitley seeking Rs 10 crore in damages for issuing allegedly false and defamatory statements against him and his family members. 

The court asked AAP convenor Kejriwal and other leaders of his party to file original documents related to the allegations levelled in the suit against them in one week. In a show of support for Jaitley, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Finance Minister will come through “with flying colours” against charges of corruption levelled against him by the opposition. 

Batting for Jaitley, accused by Congress and AAP of financial irregularities in Delhi cricket body when he headed it, Modi hit out at Congress at BJP’s parliamentary party meeting for levelling “wrong and manufactured” allegations to “defame” the government. The Joint Registrar (JR) Kovai Venugopal fixed the matter for February 5, 2016 for admission/denial of documents. 

“Issue notice to the defendants (AAP leaders). Written statements by the defendants be filed within three weeks. Thereafter, in two weeks’ time, the plaintiff (Jaitley) will file replication,” the JR said. The other AAP leaders from whom responses were sought were Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpai. While Kejriwal and Vishwas were not present in the high court, four of the AAP leaders — Ashutosh, Sanjay, Raghav and Deepak, attended the proceedings. 

Jaitley’s action comes in the backdrop of attacks on him by Kejriwal and other AAP leaders over alleged irregularities and financial bunglings in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), of which he was the president for about 13 years till 2013.