Delhi HC fines Arvind Kejriwal Rs 10,000 for not replying in Jaitley case

In a major set back for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi High Court has imposed on him a fine of Rs 10,000 for not filing a response on the fresh Rs 10 crore defamation suit against him by Union minister Arun Jaitley.

The joint registrar Pankaj Gupta directed Kejriwal to deposit the cost while granting him two more weeks to file his response.The high court had on May 23 sought the response of Kejriwal on why defamation proceedings should not be initiated against him.

The AAP leaders had accused the BJP leader of corruption as the president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), a post he had held from 2000 to 2013.

Jaitley, who had rejected all allegations levelled by the AAP leaders in December 2015, filed a civil defamation suit seeking Rs 10 crore in damages from Kejriwal and five other others, claiming they made false and defamatory statements in the case involving DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.

The AAP leaders had allegedly attacked Jaitley and some of his family members on social media platforms, over alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the DDCA.