PM degree defamation case: Gujarat HC dismisses Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh’s pleas for separate trials

The single bench of Justice MR Mengdey dismissed the pleas filed by former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha member Singh, who had approached the high court after the trial and city sessions courts rejected their applications.

Gujarat University registrar Piyush Patel filed the defamation case citing “sarcastic and derogatory” statements made by the two AAP leaders against the varsity in connection with PM Modi’s degree.
The duo had sought separate trials on various grounds, including the one that accusations against them are distinct and separate, and even the dates of the incident are different.

The two leaders were issued summons by the court, which observed that prima facie, there appeared to be a case against them under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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Kejriwal and Singh had allegedly made the comments in April 2023 after the Gujarat High Court set aside the Chief Information Commissioner’s order directing disclosure of PM Modi’s degree.
The allegedly defamatory remarks were made during press conferences and on social media platforms, including Twitter, targeting Gujarat University.The complainant stated that the remarks hurt the prestige of Gujarat University, which has established its reputation among the public. He alleged that the statements were sarcastic and deliberately intended to damage the varsity’s image, and were widely shared through the media and social media with the same intent.

The leaders wanted the trial to be separate and approached the court, which rejected their plea.

Kejriwal and Singh then approached the sessions court, which also dismissed their pleas on December 15 last year, while observing that they both made the said statements on April 1 and 2, 2023, as members of the same political party and appeared to be “engaged in one transaction, animated by a common purpose”, with continuity in their actions.