Ahmedabad (Gujarat) metropolitan court has issued a production warrant against incarcerated AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh in a defamation case related to his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational degree.
The additional chief metropolitan magistrate SJ Panchal issued the production warrant after Singh’s lawyer informed the court that he had not received instructions from his client, who is currently in Delhi’s Tihar jail due to his arrest on October 5 in a money laundering case connected to the alleged excise scam in Delhi.
Through the production warrant, the magistrate directed the local police to take custody of Singh from Tihar jail and present him before the court at 11 am on January 11, when the court will resume further proceedings in the case.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Singh face accusations of tarnishing Gujarat University’s image through “sarcastic” and “derogatory” statements about PM Modi’s degree. During the examination of witnesses, Kejriwal’s lawyer submitted an exemption plea from appearance, which the court accepted.
When Singh’s lawyer informed the court about the lack of instructions from Singh due to his incarceration, GU’s lawyer Amit Nair objected, claiming it was a tactic to delay the matter. Nair urged magistrate Panchal to issue a production warrant against Singh, a plea that the court accepted.
The court had previously summoned both leaders, noting a prima facie case against them under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The defamation case was filed by GU registrar Piyush Patel, alleging that Kejriwal and Singh made defamatory statements in press conferences and on their Twitter handles, damaging the university’s prestige after the Gujarat High Court set aside the Chief Information Commissioner’s order on PM Modi’s degree. The comments were deemed defamatory and harmful to the university’s reputation.
