New Delhi, July 25, 2024 – A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to Delhi minister Atishi Marlena in a criminal defamation case filed by Praveen Shankar Kapoor, the BJP’s media head in Delhi. Kapoor’s complaint stemmed from allegations made by Atishi that the BJP was attempting to poach Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs.
Court Proceedings: Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal granted bail to Atishi, who appeared physically before the court. The bail was granted as the offence is bailable, with Atishi required to file a bail bond of ₹20,000 and one surety of the same amount. Senior advocates Ramesh Gupta and Shailendra Singh, representing Atishi, sought time to scrutinize the documents before further arguments. The case has been listed for a subsequent hearing on August 8.
Background of the Case: Kapoor approached the court on April 29, following allegations made by AAP leaders against the BJP after a case was registered by the CBI and ED regarding the now-scrapped Delhi liquor excise policy. The court issued summons to Atishi on May 28 after hearing testimonies from the complainant’s witnesses, while no summons were issued to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Court’s Observations: In summoning Atishi, the court stated, “It appears that alleged accused no. 1 (Atishi) by her spoken words and by words which were intended to be read have made defamatory imputations which prima facie have lowered the reputation of the complainant amongst the right-thinking members of the society and the same has been made knowing and intending to harm the reputation of the complainant.”
The court also noted that the testimony of the complainant’s witnesses prima facie indicated that the defamatory statements were made by Atishi.
Defamation Notice: In April, the BJP sent a defamation notice to Atishi following her claim that she had been approached to join the saffron party or face arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) within a month. Atishi held a press conference asserting that the ED was planning to arrest her and other AAP leaders.
For more updates on this developing story, visit Sarhind Times.
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