A Gujarat court on Wednesday directed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh to appear before it on July 13 in connection with a criminal defamation case, PTI reported.
The case has been filed by the Gujarat University in connection with allegedly derogatory statements made by Kejriwal and Singh about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational degree.
The court said that on prima facie observation, there appeared to be a case against the two Aam Aadmi Party leaders under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with punishment for defamation, according to the Hindustan Times.
“The lawyers for both the accused [Kejriwal and Singh] appeared in the court today and filed an application seeking court documents,” Amit Nair, the lawyer for the Gujarat University, said. “The court provided them with the documents...They also filed an application for their exemption from appearance in the court for today.”
The court accepted their application for exemption, but asked them when they could appear before the court. The lawyers for the Aam Aadmi Party leaders said their clients will remain present on July 13.
The defamation case against Kejriwal and Singh’s remarks came two months after after the Gujarat High Court quashed a 2016 order of the Central Information Commission asking the Gujarat University to provide details about Modi’s educational qualifications to Kejriwal.
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Explainer: Why the Gujarat High Court blocked the release of Modi’s degrees
In his order, Justice Biren Vaishnav of the High Court said that the Delhi chief minister had made a mockery of the Right to Information Act. The judge questioned why Kejriwal insisted on asking for the information under the RTI Act even as the degree was available in public domain.
Reacting to the verdict, Kejriwal in a tweet wrote at the time: “Doesn’t the country even have the right to know how educated their PM is? He vehemently opposed showing the degree in the court. Why? And those who demand to see their degree will be fined? What is this happening? Illiterate or less educated PM is very dangerous for the country.”
The BJP has claimed that Modi was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Delhi University in 1978 and a Master of Arts degree from the Gujarat University in 1983. However, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged that the degrees are fake.
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