The Allahabad High Court has dismissed international shooter Vartika Singh’s appeal challenging an MP/MLA court’s decision to dismiss her defamation complaint against Union minister Smriti Irani.
The Lucknow bench of the high court maintained that labeling the petitioner as associated with the Congress party or the “Gandhi family” in response to journalists’ inquiries did not constitute defamation.
Singh had filed a case in the Sultanpur MP/MLA court, alleging defamation against Irani. The special court dismissed the case on October 21, 2022. Subsequently, the petitioner moved to challenge the MP/MLA court’s ruling in the high court.
Singh’s claim stemmed from Irani’s remarks to journalists concerning allegations made by the petitioner against her personal secretary. Irani referred to the petitioner as a “pawn” of the Congress and implied direct connections with the Gandhi family.
Citing Irani’s complete conversation with journalists, the high court noted that prior to the contentious statement, Irani discussed other topics without mentioning the petitioner’s name. The court further observed that when questioned about the petitioner, Irani asserted the petitioner’s affiliation with the Congress and alleged a criminal background, which the court confirmed through registered criminal cases against the petitioner.
The bench clarified that Irani’s statements were directed at criticizing a political party and not aimed at defaming the petitioner.
