The Rouse Avenue court has directed Bharatiya Janata Party leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor to respond to a revision petition filed by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi in a defamation case.
Atishi is challenging a summoning order related to the defamation complaint made by Kapoor. Special judge Vishal Gogne set the next hearing for October 23 & 24 for arguments.
Previously, the court had issued a notice to Kapoor regarding the matter. In the interim, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate has adjourned proceedings until November 5, as the appellate court has summoned the case records.
Atishi’s legal team includes senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, along with advocates Shailendra Singh and Mudit Jain, while Kapoor is represented by senior advocate Ajay Burman and Shoumendu Mukherjee.
Kapoor’s defamation complaint led to the Rouse Avenue court issuing a summons to Atishi on May 28. On July 23, the court granted bail to Atishi after she appeared in person and furnished the required bail bond.
Before filing the complaint, Kapoor sent a legal notice to Atishi regarding her allegations that the BJP had approached her to join their party through a “very close” associate. The notice, delivered through advocate Satya Ranjan Swain, stated that during a press conference on April 2, Atishi claimed she was approached by the BJP to switch parties.
The legal notice accused Atishi of making deliberately false and defamatory statements intended to harm both the BJP’s reputation and that of its members. It criticized her for not providing specific details about the alleged source of her claims, labeling her statements as speculative and lacking factual basis.
The notice requested that Atishi retract her statements and publicly apologize via television and social media.
Atishi has contended that she was approached by the BJP with a proposition to join their ranks or face arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.
At a press conference, she stated, “The BJP, through one of my close aides, approached me to join their party to save my political career. If I do not join, I will be arrested by the ED in the coming month.”
She further accused the BJP-led central government of using investigative agencies to intimidate opposition leaders. “We will not be scared of you. We are the soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal. We are aides of Bhagat Singh.
We will continue to protect the Constitution and work towards a better life for the people under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership,” she asserted. Atishi also alleged that in the lead-up to the general elections, other AAP leaders, including Raghav Chadha and Saurabh Bharadwaj, may also face arrests by central agencies.
