The Supreme Court dismissed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals plea challenging the High Courts decision to deny his request for a stay on criminal defamation proceedings initiated by Gujarat University over his alleged comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modis educational qualifications.The university had filed a defamation case against Kejriwal and AAP leader Sanjay Singh over their alleged comments. This action followed the Gujarat High Courts overturning of an order from the Chief Information Commissioner that had directed the university to provide information about Modis degrees under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.Supreme Court refuses to grant relief to Delhis Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the criminal defamation case filed by the Gujarat University over his comments in connection with the Prime Ministers degree.Supreme Court notes that Kejriwals plea to stay the trial is pending… pic.twitter.com/oPUFC3pR2J— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2023The two-judge bench, comprised of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, declined to issue a notice on the plea, citing that the matter is currently under the jurisdiction of the Gujarat High Court and is scheduled for a hearing on August 29. The bench advised both Gujarat University and Kejriwal to present their grievances before the High Court.Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing on behalf of Kejriwal, argued that the High Court had erred in refusing to grant an interim stay on the defamation proceedings. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the university, countered by claiming that Kejriwal had suppressed certain facts.In a prior ruling on August 11, the Gujarat High Court had rejected Kejriwal and Sanjay Singhs appeal for an interim stay on the criminal defamation proceedings.Statements sarcastic, intentionally hurtful: Gujarat University against Arvind KejriwalThe defamation case stemmed from sarcastic and derogatory remarks made by the AAP leaders in connection with PM Modis degree, for which the pair were summoned by a Gujarat metropolitan court. The matter is set for hearing on August 31.Following the summons issued by the metropolitan court, Kejriwal and Singh challenged the action by filing a revision application in the sessions court. The sessions court denied their plea for an interim stay on trial on August 7. Subsequently, they turned to the Gujarat High Court, which is now set to hear their revision application on September 16.Supreme Court refuses to grant relief to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the criminal defamation case filed by the Gujarat University over his comments in connection with the Prime Ministers degree.Supreme Court notes that Kejriwals plea to stay the trial is pending in the High…— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2023However, only Kejriwal has moved to the Supreme Court to contest the High Courts decision from August 11.In the complaint filed by Gujarat University Registrar Piyush Patel, it is alleged that the statements made by the two leaders in press conferences and on Twitter were defamatory towards the university and harmed its reputation.“Their statements were sarcastic and intentionally made to hurt the prestige of the university,” Patel stated in his complaint.This legal saga has its origins in a 2016 order from the Central Information Commission that directed the Gujarat University to share information about PM Modis degree with Kejriwal. The Gujarat High Court later overturned this decision on March 31, deeming Kejriwals RTI plea to be politically vexatious and motivated rather than based on sound public interest considerations.
