PM degree row: Setback for Arvind Kejriwal, SC dismisses AAP leader's plea against defamation summons
Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition by former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) head Arvind Kejriwal challenging the criminal defamation case against him for remarks he made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualifications.
PM degree row: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition by former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) head Arvind Kejriwal challenging the criminal defamation case against him for remarks he made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualifications.
Gujarat University filed the defamation lawsuit after Kejriwal made comments in public and during news conferences that called Prime Minister Modi's academic credentials into question, specifically his degree from Gujarat University. Gujarat University considered these remarks as disrespectful and damaging to its reputation. As a result, the university's registrar, Piyush Patel, opened a criminal defamation suit against both Kejriwal and AAP leader Sanjay Singh.
The case began in 2016, when the Central Information Commission (CIC), in response to Kejriwal's request for transparency, ordered Delhi University and Gujarat University to reveal information about PM Modi's degree. In a counter-move, the Gujarat High Court upheld the CIC's order in July 2016, prohibiting the information from being released.
Kejriwal's current appeal to the Supreme Court comes after the Gujarat High Court dismissed his first petition in February. He sought to have the criminal defamation summons issued against him by a Gujarat trial court, which had ordered him to appear for questioning regarding his statements about PM Modi's educational qualifications, overturned. His co-accused, Sanjay Singh, had also filed a similar petition challenging the proceedings.