Delhi Court Summons AAP Leaders On Defamation Complaint By BJP Councillor Regarding Allegation Of 2500 Crore Corruption In North MCD

A Delhi Court has issued summons to Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Satyender Jain, Aatishi Marlena, Raghav Chadha and Sourabh Bharadwaj and its National Executive Member Durgesh Pathak upon arriving at a prima facie finding about commission of offence punishable under Section 499/500 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey in his order of Wednesday held, "The Court is of the considered view that prima facie accused persons namely Satyender Jain, Aatishi Marlena, Raghav Chadha, Durgesh Pathak and Sourabh Bhardwvaj have committed the offence punishable U/s. 499/500 PC read with Section 34 IPC."   

In the complaint filed in January, 2021 through M/s. Neeraj and Associates, the Complainant was represented by Advocates Neeraj and Shoumendu Mukherjee.

The Complainant, Chhail Bihari Goswami, a BJP councillor in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and an Advocate by profession, has alleged in his complaint that Durgesh Pathak held a press conference making false, misleading and defamatory allegation that there was corruption of Rs. 1400 Crores in the North MCD and that the property tax of sum of Rs.1400 Crores was illegally collected and distributed among themselves by BJP councillors.

It is also stated in the complaint that the press conference was live-streamed on the Facebook Page of AAP and was published in Times of India and Danik Jagran. It is stated that Durgesh Pathak tweeted a defamatory statement that BJP leaders had misappropriated the salaries of employees worth Rs. 2500 Crores.

It is alleged against Satyender Jain that he made a similar defamatory statement which was published in Danik Jagran newspaper and shared on AAP's Facebook page. He allegedly also tweeted baseless and false allegations against BJP leaders and North MCD led by BJP.

It is alleged that Aatishi Marlena held a Press Conference which was also live-streamed on the Facebook page of the AAP and levelled false allegations against BJP leaders regarding scam of Rs. 2500 Crores in the North MCD and the statement was tweeted and published in newspapers.

Against Raghav Chadha and Sourabh Bhardwaj also, it is alleged that they made similar defamatory statements which were shared on Twitter, Facebook and were published in newspapers. 

The complainant alleges that the false allegations were levelled so that image of the complainant and other party leaders are tarnished.

The Court has summoned the aforesaid accused through SHO PS Civil Lines on filing of PF on 14 March at 2.00 pm.

Click here to read/download the Order