New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj on Monday told a Delhi court that the defamation complaint filed against her by former Delhi minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain was “politically motivated”.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal was hearing a plea filed by Jain alleging Swaraj to have defamed him by making defamatory remarks against him during an interview on television on October 5, 2023.
What has Jain claimed in his defamation complaint against Swaraj?
Jain has claimed in his plea that the said interview was watched by millions of people and that the BJP MP falsely claimed that Rs 3 crore, 1.8 kg gold and 133 gold coins were recovered from his house and that she made the remarks to defame him and to gain undue political advantage and she further defamed him by calling him “corrupt” and “fraud”.
What did Swaraj submit before court?
The counsel representing the BJP MP told the court on Monday that the facts of the case were available in the public domain and it couldn’t be classified as defamation.
“The timing in this case (defamation) is important as the person is contesting an election. The petition is politically motivated and it has been filed to gain political advantage,” Swaraj’s counsel said, news agency PTI reported.
Jain’s counsel opposed Swaraj’s submissions
The counsel representing the AAP leader opposed the submissions made by the BJP MP, calling her statements “contrary to the facts”.
The court, after hearing submissions, posted the matter for further hearing on January 22.
The court had earlier on December 16 last year issued notice to Swaraj on Jain’s defamation complaint filed against her.
