SC Reserves Order on Plea Seeking Transfer of Defamation Case against Tejashwi Yadav

The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its order on a plea filed by Tejashwi Yadav, a leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), seeking the transfer of a criminal defamation complaint pending against him in an Ahmedabad court.

The complaint revolves around his purported statement, “only Gujaratis can be thugs,” and Yadav is urging for the transfer to a location outside the state, preferably Delhi.

A bench of Justices A S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan acknowledged a recent apology statement filed by Yadav, stating, “We will pass orders.”

On January 29, the apex court had directed Yadav to submit a “proper statement” retracting his alleged remark.

The RJD Leader had previously filed an affidavit on January 19 in the Supreme Court, withdrawing his contentious “Gujarati thugs” comment. During the proceedings related to Yadav’s plea, the top court had previously halted the progress in the criminal defamation complaint, issuing a notice to the Gujarat resident who initiated the complaint.

The charges against Yadav are framed under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for purported criminal defamation.

In August, the Gujarat court conducted a preliminary inquiry against Yadav under section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, finding sufficient grounds to summon him.

This action was taken in response to a complaint filed by Haresh Mehta, a local businessman and activist. Mehta alleged that during a media interaction in Patna in March 2023, Yadav had remarked, “Only Gujaratis can be thugs in the present situation, and their fraud will be forgiven.”

He further quoted Yadav expressing concern about the accountability if individuals from Gujarat absconded with funds from LIC or banks, as the then Bihar deputy chief minister had allegedly stated. Mehta contended that Yadav’s comments had tarnished the reputation of all Gujaratis.