New Delhi [India], January 20: Senior Delhi Congress leader and New Delhi constituency candidate Sandeep Dikshit has filed civil and criminal defamation lawsuits against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Atishi, the Chief Minister, and MP Sanjay Singh, following defamatory allegations made during a press conference.
On December 26, 2024, Atishi and Sanjay Singh accused Dikshit of accepting “crores of rupees” from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to sabotage AAP’s prospects in the upcoming elections. Dikshit vehemently denies these charges, calling them baseless and defamatory. In response, he has filed a defamation suit seeking damages of Rs 10 crore for the harm caused to his reputation.
The civil defamation case, initially scheduled for a hearing before Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav on Monday, was adjourned until February. Advocate Sarim Javed appeared for Dikshit during the hearing at the Delhi High Court.
Additionally, in a related criminal defamation case, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi issued notices to Atishi and Sanjay Singh last week. The court, under Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Paras Dalal, has directed the AAP leaders to appear on January 27, 2025, to address the charges.
Dikshit’s complaint, filed by his lawyer Sarim Naved, accuses the AAP leaders of making unsubstantiated defamatory remarks during the press conference. The statement claimed that Dikshit and the Congress party were working with the BJP to undermine AAP’s electoral chances. The complaint argues that these allegations were made without any factual basis or evidence.
Furthermore, Atishi shared a live stream of the press conference on her social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with a caption alleging BJP’s support to Congress in the Delhi elections. The tweet, which has garnered over 30,000 views, along with media coverage, is said to have exacerbated the damage to Dikshit’s reputation. The complaint asserts that these actions were done with malicious intent to harm Dikshit’s standing.
Despite sending a legal notice on January 2, 2025, demanding the removal of the defamatory content, the tweet remains online, continuing to affect Dikshit’s image. He remains determined to pursue both civil and criminal charges to hold Atishi and Sanjay Singh accountable for their actions.