New Delhi: The Delhi high court Friday said it will hear on December 1, 2020, a plea by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari challenging the summons issued to him in a criminal defamation case filed by Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia for allegedly levelling corruption charges against him.
Senior advocate Pinky Anand, representing Tiwari, urged Justice Anu Malhotra to take up the plea next week.
The BJP leader has challenged a trial court’s November 28, 2019 order summoning him and others as accused in the criminal defamation case filed by Sisodia.
Sisodia had filed the complaint against BJP leaders – members of parliament Manoj Tiwari, Hans Raj Hans and Pravesh Verma, MLAs Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Vijender Gupta and BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana – for allegedly making corruption charges against him in relation to Delhi government schools’ classrooms.
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The accused were earlier granted bail after they appeared before the trial court.
Tiwari, through advocate Neeraj, has sought quashing of the summons issued against him.
The AAP leader had filed the complaint under section 200 of CrPC for the commission of offences under section 499 and 500 read with sections 34 (common intention) and 35 (an act done with a criminal knowledge or intention) of the IPC 1860 for making false and defamatory statements in print, electronic and social media.
Sisodia had stated that all the allegations made by the BJP leaders jointly and individually were false, defamatory and derogatory with an intention to harm and damage his reputation and goodwill.
If convicted, the offence of defamation entails a maximum punishment of two years.