In a relief for BJP leaders MP Manoj Tiwari and MLA Vijender Gupta, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the trial court proceedings against them in the defamation complaint filed by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian also issued notice to Sisodia on the plea challenging the Delhi High Court order.
The HC had on December 12 dismissed the petitions against the order of summons passed by the trial court.
“Issue notice. There shall be an interim stay of the operation of the Summoning Order dated 28.11.2019 passed by ACMM-I, Rouse Avenue Court Complex, New Delhi and all orders and proceedings emanating from the complaint case," the top court said in its order.
The petitioners claimed before the top court that the magistrate has taken cognisance of the complaint by Sisodia and proceeded to try the complaint without jurisdiction. Besides, they claimed the allegations in the complaint do not meet with the basic requirement of constituting the ingredients of Section 499-500 of the Indian Penal Code.
Sisodia registered a complaint following a press conference held by BJP leaders who questioned the expenditure incurred out of funds of the public exchequer in building classrooms in Delhi schools.
(Published 27 January 2021, 14:51 IST)
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