A court in Delhi on Monday discharged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a criminal defamation complaint filed against him for referring to the police as “thulla” – a Hindi slang for policemen. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal said that the complainant, Delhi Police constable Ajay Taneja, was not a person aggrieved by Kejriwal’s remark, and hence the complaint was not maintainable, PTI reported.
Taneja had filed a criminal defamation case against Kejriwal in July 2015 after the Aam Aadmi Party chief had called policemen thulla in an interview with a television channel.
“Since the complainant is not named, the test would be whether the words would reasonably lead people acquainted with him to the conclusion that he was the person referred to,” the court said on Monday. “No such evidence of any person has been provided which could even remotely suggest that.”
The judge further said: “The interview impugned was not directed against the complainant so that he can say that he has been personally defamed. Nor can it be said that he has been the object of the attack...in this case, there was no specific legal injury to the complainant.”
In a plea challenging an earlier order of the Delhi High Court, which had stayed the trial court order summoning Kejriwal, the constable alleged that the chief minister had “crossed all limits of decency” by referring to policemen as thulla. In April, the High Court had asked Kejriwal why he could not apologise for the remark.
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!