Kejriwal to face trial over PM Modi degree remarks

New Delhi: Former Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is set to face trial in a defamation case over his alleged remarks over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualification after the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed his plea to quash summons.

A Gujarat Metropolitan court had summoned Kejriwal and AAP’s Sanjay Singh in the defamation case over their alleged “sarcastic” and “derogatory” statements related to PM Modi’s educational degrees. Gujarat University Registrar Piyush Patel had filed the defamation case against the politicians over their alleged comments after the Gujarat High Court set aside an order of the chief information commissioner (CIC) for providing information about Modi’s degrees under the Right to

Information Act.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti noted that a separate bench of the apex court had junked the plea filed by AAP leader Sanjay Singh on April 8 in the same case, who is a co-accused in the case. “We must have a consistent approach. Having regard to that view, we would not like to entertain the present plea. The same is dismissed,” said the bench. The top court, however, said all contentions were left open to be decided in the trial and it was expressing no opinion on the merits of the case.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, submitted Patel was not an aggrieved party in the matter. “If at all the statement was defamatory, it is for Modi to file a criminal defamation case and not for the Gujarat University registrar,” he said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the University, said a separate bench of the apex court had already dismissed Singh’s petition on April 8. Mehta said the degree had been uploaded on the university website and referred to the dismissal of the CIC order by the Gujarat High Court.