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New Delhi: Finance minister Arun Jaitley Monday filed both civil and criminal defamation cases against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for allegedly defaming him and sought Rs 10 crores in damages and their prosecution for offences that entails a punishment of up to two years in jail.
However, in fresh embarrassment for the ruling party, BJP lawmaker Kirti Azad openly targeted Jaitley on the floor of the House Monday, joining the Congress in demanding a time-bound SIT probe into the alleged corruption in Delhi’s cricket body DDCA which Jaitley headed for 13 years.
Azad raised the issue twice in Parliament, and signed off by saying we know who was heading the DDCA between 2008 and 2013,” a reference to Jaitley, in what is being seen an unprecedented attack by an MP of the ruling party on its minister, that too in Parliament.
Later, Azad said the defamation case should have been filed against him instead of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal since it was him who for years has alleged corruption in Delhi’s cricket board.
Shortly after noon Monday, the Patiala House Courts in the heart of the city saw the rare spectacle of a Union minister walking amidst a jostling crowd of BJP supporters, who shouted slogans against Kejriwal, to enter the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal to file the criminal complaint. Jaitley came to the court a little after lunch at 2.05 pm and the proceedings lasted 35 minutes.
A phalanx of union ministers, including M Venkaiah Naidu, Smriti Irani and JP Nadda, also came to the court and later said they were showing solidarity with Jaitley describing him as a man of impeccable integrity.
The complaint was filed under various sections of the IPC including 499 (defamation), 500 (punishment), 501 and 502 (printing and sale of defamatory matter). The court just took cognisance of the complaint and posted the case for January 5 when Jaitley will record his testimony. PTI