Defamation Case: Gwalior Court Acquits Congress Leader Digvijaya Singh

A special court in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) has acquitted Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh in a 2019 defamation case filed against him for his alleged remarks that BJP/RSS workers were spying for Pakistan.

The case was brought against Singh for his alleged remarks suggesting that BJP/RSS workers were spying for Pakistan. Special judicial magistrate Mahender Saini, presiding over the MP-MLA court, acquitted the former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member of the charge under IPC section 500 (defamation).

“The invocation of the offence u/s 500 IPC does not merit acceptance,” stated the court in its order. The judge further noted that the complainant had “failed to prove that the accused (Singh), through his statements on BJP/RSS workers, has defamed them,” leading to Singh’s acquittal.

The case was filed by advocate Awdhesh Bhadoria, who alleged defamation against Singh. However, Singh’s advocate, Sanjay Shukla, asserted that the court found the facts against Singh to be false and acquitted him. Shukla pointed out that the court cited exception 9 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 499, which exempts defamation if made in good faith for the protection of interests or for the public good.

Shukla further highlighted that the complainant failed to prove his affiliation with the RSS or BJP. He suggested that the complaint was filed merely to keep the controversial remarks a subject of public discussion.

In a press conference held in Bhind on August 31, 2019, Singh had alleged the involvement of BJP/RSS workers in spying for Pakistan. Bhadoria, the complainant, expressed his intention to appeal the MP-MLA court’s judgment in the Madhya Pradesh High Court after studying it. He claimed that while the court accepted Singh’s statement, it did not amount to defamation.

Singh, aged 77, welcomed the judgment, stating, “The decision of the court is acceptable to me. The court has acquitted me.” He noted that he still faces five pending defamation cases, including two by the RSS, two by AIMIM (Asaduddin Owaisi’s party), and one by Baba Ramdev. Singh remarked, “If I say the truth then it hurts, but ultimately the truth prevails,” referring to the defamation cases against him.