‘Made a Mistake by Retweeting Video’: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to SC

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told the Supreme Court on Monday that he had made a mistake by retweeting a purportedly defamatory video disseminated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee concerning the BJP IT Cell.

A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, refraining from issuing notice on Kejriwal’s plea challenging a Delhi High Court order upholding summons issued to him in the criminal defamation case, inquired whether the complainant intended to resolve the matter given the chief minister’s apology.

The bench further instructed the trial court to defer proceedings on the defamation case involving Kejriwal until March 11. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, admitted, “I can say this much that I made a mistake by retweeting.”

In its February 5 judgment, the high court asserted that sharing purportedly libelous content would invoke defamation laws. It emphasized the need for a sense of responsibility when retweeting content of which one lacks complete knowledge, stating that reposting defamatory material should lead to legal action unless accompanied by a disclaimer.

The chief minister contended in the high court that the trial court overlooked the fact that his tweet was not intended to harm the complainant, Vikas Sankrityayan. Kejriwal’s plea before the high court argued that the trial court failed to provide any rationale for issuing the summons, asserting that the orders lacked judicial scrutiny. Sankrityayan alleged that the YouTube video titled ‘BJP IT Cell Part II,’ circulated by Rathee, residing in Germany, contained numerous false and defamatory allegations.