Delhi Minister Atishi gets bail in defamation case filed by BJP leader

The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday granted bail to Delhi Minister Atishi in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor. She appeared physically and furnished the bail bond.

Metropolitan Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal granted bail to Atishi on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 20,000 and a surety bond in the like amount.

Instead of putting thumb impression, Atishi and his surety signed the bonds. Senior advocate Ramesh Gupta who appeared for Atishi submitted that there is no requirement of putting thumb impression.

This was opposed by the complainant and his counsels. The court recorded the submissions.

The court has listed the matter for scrutiny of documents and arguments on framing of notice (Charges) on August 8. A copy of the complaint has been supplied to her. She was summoned on May 28. On the last date, she had appeared virtually.

However, the court had refused to issue summons to Arvind Kejriwal. He was also named in the complaint filed by Kapoor.

On the last date, the court noticed that a report had been filed that the court summons had not been served as the address was found to be incorrect. On the other hand, counsel for the complainant submitted that they have served the summons.

Before filing the complaint, the Delhi BJP leader sent a legal notice to AAP leader Atishi over her claims that the BJP had approached her through a "very close" person to join the party.

The notice sent by Delhi BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor stated that on April 2, Atishi held a press conference and claimed that she was approached by BJP to join the party.

The notice sent through Advocate Satya Ranjan Swain on behalf of Praveen Shankar Kapoor had stated that Atishi deliberately and with malicious intent made statements that were not only false, scandalous, concocted, illusionary but also defamatory, to harm the reputation of the BJP and its members.

In the entire speech, she neither revealed specific information about the source of information nor gave any details about the act of BJP. Devoid of any specificities, your statement is an intentional endeavour to reflect your own imagination and apprehension, stated the legal notice.

The notice requested Atishi to immediately withdraw the said speech and telecast an apology prominently on television and social media.

AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi had alleged that she was approached by the Bharatiya Janata Party to join them or else she would be arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the coming days.

While addressing a press conference here, the AAP leader said, "The BJP, through one of my close aides, approached me to join their party to save my political career, and if I do not join the BJP, then in the coming month, I will be arrested by the ED."

The AAP leader accused the BJP-led Centre of trying to threaten the party by using probe agencies.

"I want to tell the BJP that we will not be scared of you. We are the soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal. We are aides of Bhagat Singh. We will continue to save the Constitution and will work to give the people a better life under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal," she said.

Atishi further alleged that in the coming two months before the general elections, a few more leaders, including Raghav Chadha and Saurabh Bharadwaj, will be arrested by the central probe agency.