SC quashes BJP leader Manoj Tiwari's plea against summons issued in Sisodia's defamation case

The bench, however allowed the plea of BJP leader Vijender Gupta challenging the high court order

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea of BJP leader Manoj Tiwari challenging a Delhi High Court order refusing to quash summons of a trial court here against him in a criminal defamation case.

A bench comprising Justices S Abdul Nazeer and V Ramasubramaniam, however, allowed the plea of BJP leader Vijender Gupta challenging the high court order.

"We have dismissed the appeal by Manoj Tiwari and allowed the appeal by Vijender Gupta on grounds that the history of the law commission report was not properly traced," the bench said.

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The private defamation complaint was filed by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia against the BJP leaders for allegedly levelling corruption charges against him. The BJP leaders have challenged a trial court's November 28, 2019 order summoning them and others as accused in the criminal defamation case filed by Sisodia.

Sisodia had filed the complaint against BJP leaders -- Members of Parliament 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 school classrooms.

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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.