The Supreme Court pulled up Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia over his plea against the defamation case file by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Further, the apex court dismissed his plea.
While hearing the plea, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul told Manish Sisodia’s lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, “If you reduce public debate up to this level… you have to face the consequences. You should have tendered an unconditional apology earlier.”
In August this year a court in Guwahati has summoned Sisodia to appear on September 29 after Himanta Biswa Sarma lodged a criminal defamation case against him over allegations he made during a press conference linking Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma in a corruption case in the supply of personal protection equipment in 2020 when there was a shortage of PPE kits in the state.
Manish Sisodia vs Himanta Biswa Sarma
The video of the said press conference was uploaded to the YouTube channel of the Aam Aadmi Party, with caption – “Assam ke BJP CM ke bhrastachar ka yeh hai kacha chittha”. Sarma was the health and family welfare minister in 2020 during the first BJP-led state government.
Singhvi said that his client has never said that Sarma’s wife has received the money. “You made a virtue out of necessity by calling it a donation,” Singhvi said.
After being pulled up, Manish Sisodia withdrew his plea.
Manish Sisodia had approached the Gauhati High Court seeking quashing of the proceedings of case, which is pending before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (M) at Guwahati.
“Therefore, notwithstanding that the petitioner has not been able to demonstrate that the contents of his press conference was a replica of the contents of “The Wire” and “The Cross Current”, but it is apparent that the petitioner did not take care to cross-check facts before making remarks against the respondent no. 2 and his wife”, the High Court had held.
