New Delhi : Senior Delhi Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, who is also the party's candidate for the New Delhi constituency, has filed civil and criminal defamation lawsuits against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Chief Minister Atishi and MP Sanjay Singh and others.
The lawsuits stem from accusations made by the two AAP leaders during a press conference on December 26, 2024, in New Delhi, where they alleged that Dikshit had accepted "crores of rupees" from the BJP and conspired with the party to sabotage AAP's chances in the upcoming elections.
Dikshit, who vehemently denies these claims, has termed them as baseless and defamatory. He is seeking Rs 10 crore in damages for the harm caused to his reputation.
The civil defamation case was listed for hearing on Monday before the bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, but the matter was adjourned until February.
Advocate Sarim Javed appeared for the Plaintiff Sandeep Dikshit in the matter before Delhi High Court.Meanwhile, in a related criminal defamation case, the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi last week issued notices to Atishi and Sanjay Singh. The notice, issued by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Paras Dalal, asks the AAP leaders to appear on January 27, 2025, to respond to the charges.
Dikshit's complaint, filed through his lawyer Sarim Naved, accuses the two AAP leaders of making unsubstantiated defamatory statements during their press conference. The complaint states that Atishi and Sanjay Singh alleged that Dikshit and the Congress party had colluded with the BJP to defeat AAP. According to the complaint, the accusations were made without any material evidence to back them up.
The complaint further highlights that Atishi shared a live stream of the press conference on her X (formerly Twitter) account, with the caption: "BJP is helping Congress in the Delhi election." The tweet, which has garnered over 30,000 views, along with the widespread media coverage of the defamatory statements, has further damaged Dikshit's reputation, the complaint claims. Dikshit argues that these actions clearly amount to defamation, as they were made with the intent to harm his standing.
The legal notice regarding the defamatory statements was sent on January 2, 2025, but the defamatory tweet remains accessible online, continuing to tarnish Dikshit's image. Dikshit is determined to pursue both civil and criminal charges to hold Atishi and Sanjay Singh accountable for their actions.