Even as the world celebrated Easter and savoured delicacies on Sunday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal had to eat his own words. Kejriwal, along with other leaders like AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, leader Ashutosh and AAP National Executive Member Raghav Chadha who once found defamation suit slapped by Jaitley ‘interesting‘ have now written an apology to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley since they now have come to the conclusion that the allegations were unfounded and unwarranted.
Kejriwal even added that the part where his former counsel Ram Jethmalani, who was supposed to get Kejriwal out of trouble, invited a second defamation case against Kejriwal by referring to Jaitley as a ‘crook’, did not have Kejriwal’s approval. He said he does not approve of the ‘disparaging and malicious statements made by Jethmalani’.
Thankfully, no one mistook it for April Fool’s Day prank, considering the letters were dated 1st April. Finance Minister Jaitley, has accepted the apology but a joint application is filed for decree based on the apology by Kejriwal and gang.
Defamation suit(by FM Arun Jaitley) not being withdrawn, Joint application being filed for decree based on apology by Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2018
Arun Jaitley has accepted their (A Kejriwal &other AAP leaders)apology. We’ve moved Delhi HC for civil matters & Patiala House court for criminal complaints. In civil case, we’ll agree to a decree in the matter based on apology & acceptance thereof: M Dogra, A Jaitley’s counsel pic.twitter.com/qJ3qpyjICZ
— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2018
In this case, unlike others, Arun Jaitley basically accepted his apology, but, instead of withdrawing the case, wants the court to pass an order based on Kejriwal’s apology and acceptance of guilt.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley in December 2015 had filed a defamation case against Arvind Kejriwal and 5 others for what he claimed were false allegations regarding his alleged role in certain irregularities in the DDCA (Delhi & District Cricket Association). Jaitley sought compensation of 10 crore rupees due to damages caused by alleged defamatory statements by Kejriwal. After the case was filed, Kejriwal sought the legal help of eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani to untangle himself from the mess. But for Kejriwal, hiring Jethmalani resulted in him getting into a further mess. During a hearing in May 2017, Ram Jethmalani went into an overdrive and called Arun Jaitley a “crook”, to which Jaitley lodged a strong objection. When Jethmalani was asked whether he was authorised by Kejriwal to use the term, Jethmalani answered in affirmative. Following which, Jaitley filed another defamation case against Kejriwal.
In a twist in the tale, in July last year, Jethmalani called Kejriwal a ‘liar’ and quit as his counsel. Jethmalani had also asked Kejriwal to settle his pending legal fees, which amounted over Rs 2 crore as per media estimates. In February last year, the Delhi government, on behalf of the Chief Minister and the five other AAP leaders, had cleared a bill of Rs 3.5 crore to Jethmalani by burdening the exchequer.
Recently, Kejriwal has been on an apologising spree with him seeking forgiveness for his remarks on union minister Nitin Gadkari, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia and former union minister Kapil Sibal which led to defamation cases against him.
