PM Modi's degree row: Gujarat HC refuses to grant interim stay on defamation proceedings against Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh
Aug 11, 2023
Ahmedabad ( Gujarat) [India], August 11 : The Gujarat High Court on Friday refused to grant an interim stay on the criminal defamation proceedings initiated against Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and the party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on their allegedly defamatory statements against Gujarat University.
Justice Sameer Dave refused a stay on the application moved by the legal team of Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh in the Gujarat High Court. The hearing will resume in the lower court as a summons had been issued to Kejriwal and Singh for Friday.
The hearing will now proceed as per schedule. The complainant (Gujarat University) had asked for a bailable warrant to be issued against both Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh if they don't show up today.
Kejriwal & Sanjay Singh are facing a criminal defamation case in Ahmedabad. They were issued summons to appear before the Metropolitan court on August 11.
Following their summons Kejriwal & Sanjay Singh then moved the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on the defamation proceeding. This stay was sought till such time as when the Sessions court rules on another application moved by them challenging the summons issued to them by the Metropolitan court.
The City Civil & Sessions Court Ahmedabad had on August 5 rejected their plea to stay the proceedings in the trial pending the disposal of their revised plea.
Earlier on March 31, Gujarat High Court had set aside the Chief Information Commission (CIC) order and ruled that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) need not furnish the degree and postgraduate degree certificates of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The High Court had also imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who had sought details of the certificate of the Prime Minister's degree.
