New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the trial in a criminal defamation case filed by the Gujarat University against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over comments in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.
A bench headed by justice Sanjiv Khanna said the court is not inclined to issue notice at this stage as the matter is pending before the Gujarat High Court and listed on August 29. The bench noted that Kejriwal's plea to stay the trial is pending in the high court.
The bench, also comprising justice S V N Bhatti, said, “We trust and hope that the matter is decided on the said date. We must record that a number of pleas have been raised by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of Gujarat University, they can be raised before the high court”.
Senior advocate A M Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, urged the court to see the summoning order, which had been issued wrongly. Singhvi said the sessions court issued notice and it rejected his client's plea for interim stay and against that, he moved the high court and the trial court going at breakneck speed.
The bench queried about the stage of proceedings. Singhvi said the trial court will finish the matter by September 16. Singhvi said petitions are pending before the sessions court and the high court (August 29). Mehta said they let me appear through advocates and it was rejected, then they abused the trial court. Mehta queried, as a litigant was it not the petitioner's duty not to suppress this?
Earlier this week, the Ahmedabad sessions court rejected a plea by Kejriwal and MP Sanjay Singh, seeking an expedited hearing of their revision petition, aiming for it to take place before August 29—a date determined by the Gujarat High Court in response to Kejriwal and Singh’s request for both a stay of trial and prompt revision petition hearing.
This request was made after the Gujarat High Court dismissed their application for interim relief on August 11, though the court issued a notice regarding their plea for a speedy hearing. Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court against the order of rejection of the stay by the Gujarat High Court.
