New Delhi:Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s counsel on Monday submitted before the Supreme Court that his client made a mistake by retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.
A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta asked the complainant whether he wanted to close the matter in view of the chief minister’s apology. The apex court did not issue notice on a plea filed by Kejriwal against a Delhi High Court order, which upheld the summons issued to him as an accused in the criminal defamation case. The high court on February 5 had said that reposting alleged libellous content would attract the defamation law.
During the hearing on Monday, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, said, "I can say this much that I made a mistake by retweeting." The apex court also asked the trial court not to take up the defamation case involving Kejriwal till March 11.
The high court had said a sense of responsibility has to be attached while retweeting content about which one does not have knowledge. Kejriwal had said in the high court that the trial court failed to appreciate that his tweet was not intended or likely to harm the complainant, Vikas Sankrityayan. The high court said that retweeting defamatory content must invite penal, civil as well as tort action if the person retweeting it does not attach a disclaimer.
Kejriwal had contended before the high court that the trial court erred in not providing any reasons for issuing the summons. The complainant claimed the YouTube video titled ‘BJP IT Cell Part II’ was circulated by Rathee, who lives in Germany, “wherein several false and defamatory allegations were made”.
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