DDCA sues Arvind Kejriwal for defamatory statements; Delhi court issues summons

Just when we thought the DDCA was done with its share of litigation, Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra has issued summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a defamation case filed by the DDCA Vice-President Chetan Chauhan..Arguing through Sangram Patnaik, the complainants alleged that Kejriwal had made defamatory remarks against the DDCA officials during a TV interview with NDTV on December 29, 2015. Speaking to journalist Barkha Dutt, Kejriwal had stated,.“There are many wrong doings in the selection of players. You will be surprised to know that a very senior journalist called me on the phone, who is a good friend of yours. His son plays cricket. He told me that he got a call that his son was selected. In the evening, when the list came his name wasn’t there. Can you believe the next day the journalist’s wife got an SMS that you come to my (official’s) place at night and your son’s name will be on the list.”.It was the DDCA’s case that Kejriwal, on the basis of hearsay and without any basis, had alleged that the DDCA officials were compromising the selections of the players in return for sexual favours..Former cricketer Kirti Azad was accused of endorsing and seconding the statements made by the Chief Minister in the interview, leading to maligning the petitioner organization’s reputation..In its order, the bench observed,.“Under the aegis of the DDCA, hundreds of players are playing cricket. Such a drastic statement and that too from the Chief Minister may have a negative impact and leave an adverse impression in the minds of the cricketers, officials and public at large, impacting the reputation of the DDCA, its organizational functioning and transparency of the selection process. .A person especially holding a constitutional post is reasonably expected to exercise sensitivity and prudence in making discourses and imputations which may have a negative impact on the reputation of an institution working in public domain.”.In light of these observations, the bench summoned both Kejriwal and Azad for the offence of defamation under Ss. 499-500 of the Indian Penal Code. The accused are required to be present before the court on February 18..Read the complete order below.