New Delhi: Delhi High Court has closed down the defamation suit of value 10 crore filed by Union Minister Arun Jaitley after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal apologized to him.
Arun Jaitley initiated in filing this second defamation suit after the former lawyer of Arvind Kejriwal, Ram Jethmalani allegedly “abused” openly in the court during the court proceedings for the original defamation suit against the Aam Aadmi Party Supremo and five other party functionaries.
Justice Manmohan allowed the settlement application to be filed jointly by Mr Jaitley and Mr Kejriwal and disposed of the 10 crore defamation suit after Mr Kejriwal’s offered apology and the same was accepted by the BJP leader.
The High Court accepted the jointly written undertaking and statement of both the leaders and ordered that the suit in accordance with the settlement application.
Mr Kejriwal’s counsel Anupam Srivastava said during the hearing before the court tha the issue was settled and Mr Jaitley had accepted the apology tendered by the Aadm Aadmi Party leader.
Alongside this, Mr Jaitley’s counsels, Rajiv Nayyar and Manik dogra also asserted that the dispute was over as both the parties settled it among themselves.
The court noted that the settlement application was signed by the leaders and also by their respective advocates who undertook that their clients would abide by the undertaking given.
Another bench of the Delhi high court is scheduled to hear Mr Jaitley and Mr Kejriwal’s settlement application later today relating to the first defamation suit.
Mr Kejriwal had on March 19 opposed in the High Court the second Rs. 10 crore defamation suit filed against him by Mr Jaitley citing the use of an objectionable word by Ram Jethmalani. He even claimed that he had never directed his then counsel to use any scandalous words against the minister during recording of evidence.
At the time of cross-examination of the minister on May 17 last year before Joint Registrar, Mr Jethmalani had used a term to which Arun Jaitley found objectionable.
AAP leaders had accused the Senior BJP leader of corruption as the president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), a post he was assigned from 2000 to 2013.
Mr Jaitley had denied all allegations leveled by the Aam Aadmi Party leaders way back in December 2015 and had filed a civil defamation suit seeking a total of Rs. 10 crore damages from Mr Kejriwal and five other leaders of his party, with the claim that they had made “false and defamatory” statements in the case involving DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.
There was large uproar in the media, when there were allegations of senior counsel using abusive language against Mr. Jaitley.
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