In response to a criminal defamation complaint, a court in Ahmedabad has summoned Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, and Sanjay Singh, a Rajya Sabha member of the Aam Aadmi Party, for allegedly making sarcastic and disparaging remarks about the Gujarat University regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s academic credentials.
The Gujarat University’s registrar Piyush Patel filed a complaint against the two AAP leaders, and the court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate Jayeshbhai Chovatiya on Saturday summoned them after observing that there initially appeared to be a case against them under Indian Penal Code Section 500 (defamation).
The court further directed that Kejriwal’s name in the cause title of the lawsuit be changed to “Kejriwal,” as the statements were made in his individual capacity. Kejriwal and Singh made the remarks following the Gujarat High Court’s decision to overturn the Chief Information Commissioner’s order requesting information about PM Modi’s degree from Gujarat University (GU).
The complainant claims that they made “defamatory” remarks against the university about Modi’s degree during press conferences and on Twitter accounts.
He said that their criticism of Gujarat University was defamatory and damaged the institution’s reputation among the general public.
The establishment of Gujarat University dates back more than 70 years. The complainant’s attorney, Amit Nair, said that the university has a reputation among the public and that the accused’s statements will foster suspicion of the institution. Because the words were caustic and meant to purposefully harm the university’s reputation, the complainant claimed they were defamatory.
According to him, they were distributed with the same purpose via Twitter accounts and the media.
The complainant cited Kejriwal as saying, “If there is a degree and it is genuine, then why is it not being given?” “They are not giving a degree because it might be fake,” “If the Prime Minister studied at Delhi University and Gujarat University, then Gujarat University should celebrate that our student became the country’s PM,” and “If the Prime Minister studied at Delhi University and Gujarat University.”
Sanjay Singh allegedly told the complainant, “They are trying to prove the PM’s fake degree as genuine.”
During the court investigation, four witnesses were questioned and further information was presented. The complainant’s attorney claimed these witnesses’ statements could lead one to think that GU awards phoney and fraudulent degrees.
