File photo of Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal
Former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was today summoned as an accused by a Delhi court in a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.
Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha issued summons for April 7 against Mr Kejriwal on the complaint in which Mr Gadkari had alleged that he was defamed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, who had included his name in the party's list of "India's most corrupt".
Mr Gadkari lawyers argued that Mr Kejriwal had made the statement against the BJP leader with a "malafide intention" to tarnish the image and lower the dignity of their client.
They also contended that Mr Kejriwal had made "baseless and false allegation" against the 57-year-old BJP leader. The court had on February 18 recorded statements of Mr Gadkari and advocate Neeraj as complainant witnesses in the complaint.
Mr Gadkari too had said in his statement that the former Delhi chief minister had included his name in the list of alleged corrupt politician to tarnish his public image.
"The accused (Kejriwal) is in the habit of making false and defamatory statements without any basis. The statements made by the accused and his party members have damaged and tarnished my image in the eyes of the people.
"The said statements have been made maliciously by the accused person and his party people with the knowledge that the same are false, without any basis and with the malafide intention to defame and tarnish my reputation," he had said.
Mr Kejriwal had accused several politicians of being "corrupt" and had said AAP will field candidates against them in coming Lok Sabha polls.