Delhi High Court summons Shashi Tharoor in defamation suit by BJP's Rajeev Chandrashekhar

The Delhi High Court has summoned Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor in a civil defamation suit filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Chandrashekhar who has accused Tharoor of making false and defamatory remarks during the 2024 General Elections..Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav heard arguments on behalf of Chandrashekhar, who sought an order restraining Tharoor from making such defamatory statements as well as a public apology and damages.The Court proceeded to issue notice to Tharoor through all permissible modes, and called for his response by April 28, 2025..In his suit, Chandrashekhar accused Shashi Tharoor of making false and defamatory statements on various public fora in April 2024 during election campaigns, thereby causing severe damage to his (Chandrashekhar's) professional and personal reputation. Chandrashekhar and Tharoor were rival candidates for the General Elections, both contesting elections from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency of Kerala for a Parliament seat, which eventually saw Tharoor emerge the winner. Amid the heated contest, Chandrashekhar reportedly sent Tharoor a legal notice for defamation in April, after Tharoor allegedly said that there were talks of key influential figures, including parish priests, being bribed for votes. Chandrashekhar then approached the High Court, seeking an order to restrain Tharoor from making further defamatory remarks, and demanding a public apology from the Congress leader as well as ₹10 crores as damages for tarnishing Chandrashekhar's reputation. The BJP leader has argued that Tharoor made baseless and defamatory claims that were aimed at Chandrashekhar, despite being aware that they were false. "These actions of (Tharoor) resulted in significant damage to the (Chandrashekhar's) reputation and ultimately led to his defeat (in the General Elections) by a narrow margin of 16,077 votes," Chandrashekhar's plea says. It adds the narrow margin by which Tharoor won the election shows the significant impact of his defamatory and derogatory statements on the final electoral outcome..Chandrasekhar was represented by Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar who was briefed by the team of M/S Karanjawala and Co. comprising Senior Partner Meghna Mishra, Principal Associate Ankit Rajgarhia and Associate Palak Sharma.