Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tendered an apology to Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday over the Rs 10 crore defamation suit filed against him. (Express Photo/Praveen Khanna/File)
The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed Union Minister Arun Jaitley and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to ‘settle’ one of the two civil defamation suits filed, noting that the AAP convenor has apologised for his remarks. The case referred to alleged defamatory statements made by Kejriwal’s former lawyer against the BJP leader.
Justice Manmohan, who was hearing the matter today, noted that the Union Minister has accepted the apology tendered by Kejriwal by way of letter, and disposed off the Rs 10 crore defamation suit. The court said that both parties shall be bound by their settlement terms and conditions.
Filed in 2015, the defamation case is connected to a case of alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
In his letter, Kejriwal had said that the remarks by his former lawyer Ram Jethmalani against Jaitley were made without his consent. He, along with five other AAP leaders who were also named in Jaitley’s suit, offered their “sincere apology” for any harm caused. The five functionaries are Raghav Chadha, Singh Singh, Ashutosh and Deepak Bajpai.
Proceedings against AAP’s Kumar Vishwas, however, will continue, after the leader refused to tender an apology to Jaitley.
Read | As Kejriwal, Jaitley end stalemate, Kumar Vishwas adamant: Won’t apologise
Meanwhile, Kejriwal and his four party leaders, along with Jaitley, have also moved a joint application for closure of the first defamation suit. The court is yet to hear this matter.
The move comes as no surprise as Kejriwal has already apologised to several others, who had filed defamation suits and complaints against him.
The joint application was moved by advocates Manik Dogra and Anupam Srivastava, who appeared for Jaitley and Kejriwal, respectively.