Supreme Court stays proceedings in two defamation cases against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Supreme Court on friday issues notice to Centre on Kejriwal's plea challenging constitutional validity of penal defamation laws. Supreme Court orders tagging of Kejriwal's plea with a pending case filed earlier by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on a similar issue.

Delhi CM in his petition challenged constitutional validity of Section 499 and 500 of IPC making defamation an offence punishable by up to a two-year jail term. His lawyer also argued that penal provision for defamation is unconstitutional as it puts unreasonable restrictions on freedom of speech and expression, a right guaranteed by the Constitution.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had field a defamation case against Arvind Kejriwal last year that he was defamed by the AAP leader who had included his name in the party's list of "India's most corrupt". On May 27, Kejriwal had obtained bail from the trial court by furnishing a personal bond.

Advocate Surender Kumar Sharma in March filed a criminal defamation complaint against Arvind kejriwal and two other AAP leaders. The lawyer in his complaint alleged that in 2013 he was approached by volunteers of AAP who had asked him to contest the Delhi Assembly elections on a party ticket, saying Kejriwal was pleased with his social services.

He filled up the application form to contest the polls after being told by Sisodia and Yadav that AAP's Political Affairs Committee of the party had decided to give him the ticket. However, it was later denied to him. On October 14, 2013, the complainant claimed, articles in leading newspapers carried "defamatory, unlawful and derogatory words used by the accused persons" which have lowered his reputation in the Bar and the society.