The Rouse Avenue court has scheduled a hearing for pre-cognizance arguments in a defamation complaint filed by former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit against Delhi CM Atishi and AAP MP Sanjay Singh.
The case stems from allegations made during a press conference on December 26, 2024, where Dikshit claims defamatory remarks were made against him and the Indian National Congress (INC).
Dikshit is contesting the Delhi Assembly elections from the New Delhi Constituency against AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal. His counsel informed the court that they had received a copy of the complaint, though some pages were unreadable. The court instructed Dikshit’s counsel to provide legible copies of the documents.
The complaint alleges that Atishi and Singh falsely accused Dikshit of accepting “crores of rupees” from the Bharatiya Janata Party and colluding with the party to defeat AAP in the upcoming elections. Dikshit claims that these allegations were not supported by any evidence and were intended to harm his reputation.
The court had earlier issued notices to Atishi and Singh on January 16, asking them to respond before taking cognizance of the complaint. Advocate Rajat Bhardwaj, representing the accused, stated that while he had received the complaint, some parts were illegible.
Dikshit’s counsel also mentioned that they would reconsider prosecution if the accused retracted their statements.
According to the complaint, Atishi’s Twitter post shared the press conference’s live proceedings and made further defamatory statements. The tweet, which claimed that the BJP was assisting Congress in the Delhi elections, garnered over 30,000 views and was widely shared.
Additionally, national newspapers picked up the story, further amplifying the alleged defamatory impact.
The case involves charges under Section 356 read with Section 3(5) of BNS, 2023, related to defamation. The next hearing is set for February 6, 2025.
