Court directs complainant to supply copy of press conference's video to Delhi Minister Atishi in defamation case

New Delhi [India], August 8 : The Rouse Avenue court on Thursday directed complainant BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor to supply the videos of the conference, a copy of the statement of witnesses to Delhi Minister Atishi by the next date. She is an accused in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Tanya Bamniyal is to supply copies of the video of the press conference of January 27, 2024 and April 2024 and copy of pre-summoning evidence adduced by the complainant and documents sought by the counsel for the accused by the next date of hearing.
The Court on July 23 granted bail to Delhi Government Minister Atishi. She was summoned on May 28. On the last date, she had appeared virtually.
However, the court refused to issue summons to Arvind Kejriwal. He was also named in the complaint filed by Kapoor.
Before filing the complaint, the Delhi BJP Leader sent a legal notice to AAP leader Atishi over her claims that the BJP approached her through a "very close" person to join the party.
The notice sent by Delhi BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor stated that on April 2, 2024 Atishi held a press conference and claimed that she was approached by BJP to join the party.
Notice sent through Advocate Satya Ranjan Swain on behalf of Praveen Shankar Kapoor had stated that Atishi deliberately and with malicious intent made statements which are not only false, scandalous, concocted and illusionary, but defamatory to harm the reputation of BJP but also of its members.
In the entire speech, she neither revealed specific information about the source of information nor did she give any details about the act of BJP. Devoid of any specifities your statement is an intentional endeavor to reflect your imagination and apprehension, stated the legal notice.
The notice requested Atishi to immediately withdraw the said speech and telecast your apology prominently on television and social media.
AAP Leader and Delhi Minister Atishi had alleged that she was approached by the Bharatiya Janata Party to join them or else she'd be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the coming days.
While addressing a press conference here, the AAP leader said, "The BJP, through one of my close aides, approached me to join their party to save my political career, and if I do not join the BJP, then in the coming month, I will be arrested by the ED."
The AAP leader accused the BJP-led Centre of trying to threaten the party by using probe agencies.
"I want to tell the BJP that we will not be scared of you. We are the soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal. We are aides of Bhagat Singh. We will continue to save the Constitution and will work to give the people a better life under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal," she said.
She further alleged that in the coming two months before the general elections, a few more leaders, including Raghav Chadha and Saurabh Bharadwaj, will be arrested by the central probe agency.