BJP MLA moves HC against summons issued in Kailash Gahlot defamation case

Gahlot had filed a criminal complaint against Gupta for allegedly defaming him in a matter related to the procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses

BJP MLA Vijender Gupta on Monday approached the High Court, challenging the summons issued against him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot for allegedly making defamatory remarks about him over the procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi Transport Corporation.

The Bench of Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh agreed to hear the matter after the submission of Advocate Pavan Narang, appeared for Gupta.

Gupta's counsel sought an urgent hearing in the matter Monday itself. However, the court said it would hear the matter on Tuesday.

On October 11, the Rouse Avenue Court, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey had observed that Gupta prima facie committed the offences.

"The Court is of the considered view on the basis of an oral submission, document places and proved on record in pre summoning evidence by complainant...that accused has prima facie committed the offences punishable under sections 499/500/501 of the Indian Penal Code," the court said in its order.

Accordingly, the accused MLA was given summons for November 16, 2021.

The Delhi Transport Minister had filed a criminal complaint against Gupta for allegedly defaming him in a matter related to the procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi Transport Corporation and sought Rs 5 crore in damages and also removal of media posts by the BJP legislator.

Gahlot, in his complaint, had alleged that Gupta with "malafide purposes and to gain political mileage, has levelled defamatory, scandalous, mischievous, false and scurrilous allegations on the complainant both verbal as well as in writing on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook through his account."

Gahlot had also mentioned in his complaint that after getting the charge of the transport ministry in the Delhi government, he took the initiative for inducting around 1,500 new buses since 2017 for the welfare of the people.

The BJP legislator had earlier dismissed the allegations and termed them as "baseless". Gupta had said he was referring to the findings of a panel appointed by the Lt. Governor on the bus purchase controversy.

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