Delhi HC bars AAP, MLA from ‘defaming’ Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP

NEW DELHI:  The Delhi High Court has restrained Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its MLA Vinay Mishra from posting defamatory, scandalous, or factually incorrect statements against Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) leader and MP Hanuman Beniwal and other party legislators concerning the Rajya Sabha polls without any cogent evidence.

Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta issued summons to defendants on the lawsuit by Beniwal and others against a series of allegedly defamatory tweets made earlier this month by the city’s lawmaker and AAP’s election in-charge for Rajasthan.

The judge said that unfounded allegations in media can be damaging forever if there is no opportunity to vindicate one’s reputation and restrained the defendants AAP and Mishra, from re-publishing, releasing or circulating, etc any defamatory statements concerning the tweets till further orders.

Beniwal told the court that following his tweet announcing that the three RLP MLAs would not vote for the BJP and Congress candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections but would support an independent candidate, the AAP MLA “started a malicious campaign” against the plaintiffs and their party.

It was further alleged that the defendants got news circulated on various dates concerning their tweets and allegations which were ex-facie false, concocted, slanderous, scandalous, and derogatory. The court observed that voting strategy is based upon a political party’s ideology and policy.