On Saturday (April 15), a Gujarat court issued summons to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and AAP MP Sanjay Singh in connection to a criminal defamation complaint filed over their objectionable statements about the educational qualification of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As per reports, the two Aam Aadmi Party leaders have been asked to appear before the court on May 23, 2023. The complaint was filed by the Registrar of the Gujarat University, Piyush Patel, against Kejriwal and Singh for intending to damage the reputation of the varsity through defamatory utterances.
The Court has prima facie found a valid case of defamation against the two AAP politicians after analysing electronic records and recording evidence furnished by four witnesses.
“A normal person can conclude that it is being implied that Gujarat University issues fake and bogus degrees and is associated with fraud activity… This is the prima facie reasoning that can be concluded,” it noted.
The court emphasised, “…Prima facie, targeting Gujarat University, sarcastically, which is an institute established under constitutional provisions… it is obvious that it will taint the university’s image in people’s mind.”
“…Political figures, instead of serving their people, harbour animosity against each other, work directly or indirectly to personally harm the opponent and break the trust of their constituents,” it further added.
The Background of the Controversy
The AAP leaders had cast aspersions on the authenticity of the degree accorded to PM Modi by the Gujarat University. “All the ministers and spokesperson of the BJP have scrambled to prove that the prime minister’s degree is not fake,” Sanjay Singh had claimed during a press conference on April 2.
He further alleged, “If a probe is conducted the prime minister’s degrees would turn out to be fake and his (Lok Sabha) membership will be cancelled.”
Amit Shah ने PM Modi की फ़र्ज़ी Degree दिखाई थी, वो कई सवाल खड़े करती है।
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) April 2, 2023
चुनाव आयोग कहता है
आप संपत्ति और डिग्री के बारे में ग़लत जानकारी दी तो आपकी सदस्यता जाएगी
मोदी जी की डिग्री की जांच हुई तो सदस्यता भी जाएगी और कई सालों तक चुनाव लड़ने लायक नहीं रहेंगे।
– @SanjayAzadSln pic.twitter.com/LQlSKdnZ7h
A similar remark was made by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on April 1 during a press conference. He had said, “An uneducated or less educated PM is dangerous for India.”
“It is either because of his ego he doesn’t feel the need to show it to anyone but this kind of behaviour is not valid in a democracy. The other question that arises is that the degree might be fake,” he further claimed.
On March 31 this year, the Gujarat High Court quashed the Central Information Commission (CIC) order issued in 2016 directing Gujarat University to furnish information regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Master of Arts (MA) degree to Arvind Kejriwal.
The Gujarat High Court on Friday ruled that Prime Minister’s Office is not required to furnish the graduate and post-graduate degrees of PM Modi. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Delhi CM Kejriwal for seeking the details about PM Modi’s degree certificates.
