Court issues summons to Kejriwal for defaming Gadkari

New Delhi, Feb 28: A court here on Friday issued summons to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a defamation case filed by BJP leder Nitin Gadkari for calling him "corrupt".

Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha has asked Kejriwal to appear on April 7 as the next date of hearing.

The complaint filed by Gadkari said that on Jan 31, "Kejriwal has deliberately released the list of ‘India’s most corrupt’ people mentioning his (Gadkari’s) name in a grossly irresponsible manner".

Advocate Pinki Anand, appearing for the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, told the court that Kejriwal made the statement with malafide intention to lower Gadkari’s dignity.

The court on Feb 18 had recorded the statements of Gadkari and two other witnesses.

Kejriwal "has deliberately tried to malign (Gadkari’s) image though he is not involved in any wrongful or corrupt act", the complaint stated.

It also requested the court to act against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and prosecute him for defaming the former BJP president.

Gadkari had told the court that false, baseless, scandalous, defamatory statements and news items by Kejriwal against him have been widely published, circulated and read by public at large and have lowered his dignity in the eyes of public.

Being then the chief minister, Kejriwal failed to maintain the dignity of the post by making a false statement, the petition said.