The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manoj Tiwari’s plea challenging a Delhi High Court order refusing to quash summons against him by a trial court in a criminal defamation case, reported Bar and Bench.
In 2019, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had filed the defamation case against Tiwari along with the BJP leaders Parvesh Singh and Vijender Gupta for alleging that the Aam Aadmi Party was involved in a Rs 2,000 crore scam.
Tiwari had claimed that an additional Rs 2,000 crore was spent on the construction of classrooms in Delhi when they could have been constructed at Rs 892 crore.
Sisodia had accused the three BJP leaders of defaming him through “offending publications” that he said were based on “cooked up” allegations. The deputy chief minister demanded an apology.
The BJP leaders had challenged a trial court’s November 28, 2019, order summoning them as accused in the case in the High Court, reported the Hindustan Times.
In its hearing the High Court had observed that, prima facie, the statements made by the BJP leaders had harmed the reputation of Sisodia, reported Bar and Bench. Both Tiwari and Gupta had appealed against the 2020 Delhi High Court order in the top court, which reserved its judgement in the case on September 22.
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