The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the proceedings against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and jailed Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh in a criminal defamation case filed by Gujarat University over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s academic qualifications, reported Bar and Bench.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta granted the stay for four weeks while hearing Singh’s petition seeking the transfer of the case to a trial court outside Gujarat.
Dismissing the petition, the bench asked the Gujarat High Court to decide within four weeks on a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party leaders to quash the summons issued to them by the trial court.
Singh had approached the Supreme Court after the trial court summoned him for a hearing on December 28. The MP is currently in jail after being arrested on October 4 in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.
On Wednesday, appearing for Singh, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the Supreme Court that the intent of the defamation case is to hold the MP guilty and disqualify him from Parliament, reported Hindustan Times.
Under Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a legislator sentenced to jail for two years or more stands to be disqualified from the date of conviction till six years after serving time.
Singhvi told the top court that Singh had not said anything against the Gujarat University, which is the complainant in the case.
On March 31, the Gujarat High Court had quashed a 2016 directive of the Central Information Commission asking the Gujarat University to provide details about the prime minister’s degrees to Kejriwal. The Central Information Commission is the top appellate body under the Right to Information Act.
Soon after the judgment, the Gujarat University filed a criminal defamation case against Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, alleging that they had made derogatory statements about Modi’s educational qualifications.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has claimed that Modi was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Delhi University in 1978 and a Master of Arts degree from Gujarat University in 1983. However, the Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that the degrees are fabricated.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!