Bengal Govt declares holidays on Feb 13 & 14, long weekend ahead
Sandeep Dikshit, a senior Delhi Congress leader and the party's candidate for the New Delhi constituency, has filed both civil and criminal defamation lawsuits against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Chief Minister Atishi and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh. The lawsuits stem from a press conference held on December 26, where Atishi and Sanjay Singh accused Dikshit of accepting "crores of rupees" from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and conspiring with the party to sabotage AAP's chances in the upcoming elections. Dikshit has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them baseless and damaging to his reputation.
In his civil defamation suit, Dikshit seeks ₹10 crore in damages, asserting that the statements made by Atishi and Sanjay Singh were both unfounded and defamatory. The lawsuit was scheduled for a hearing before the Delhi High Court on January 20, but the case was adjourned until February. Dikshit’s lawyer, Advocate Sarim Javed, appeared in court to represent him, urging that the harm to Dikshit’s reputation be addressed.
Alongside the civil case, Dikshit has filed a criminal defamation case. The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi issued notices to Atishi and Sanjay Singh in the criminal defamation matter, instructing them to appear before the court on January 27, to respond to the charges. Dikshit’s complaint, filed by his lawyer Sarim Naved, accuses the AAP leaders of making defamatory statements during their press conference without any factual basis. The complaint stresses that the accusations were part of a deliberate campaign to tarnish Dikshit’s reputation and influence the electoral process.
The press conference, where the allegations were made, was streamed live and covered widely. Atishi claimed in the press conference that the BJP was supporting Congress in the upcoming elections, which she argued would negatively impact AAP's prospects. She later shared a live stream of the press conference on her X (formerly Twitter) account with the caption, "BJP is helping Congress in the Delhi election." Dikshit’s complaint highlights that Atishi’s tweet, which garnered significant attention and over 30,000 views, has further spread the defamatory statements and continues to harm his public image.
Dikshit argues that these actions were taken with the clear intent to damage his political career and public standing. Despite the legal notice sent on January 2, requesting the removal of defamatory content, the tweet and other related statements remain accessible online. Dikshit has stated his determination to pursue both civil and criminal charges to hold Atishi and Sanjay Singh accountable for their actions.