Defamation Case By Arun Jaitley: Delhi HC Refuses To Quash Summons Against AAP's Deepak Bajpai [Read Order]

The Delhi High Court, on Monday, refused to set aside the summons issued against AAP leader Deepak Bajpai in the criminal defamation case filed against him by Union minister Arun Jaitley.

Mr. Jaitley had filed the complaint against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for allegedly making defamatory allegations against him regarding his tenure as the Chief of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

Mr. Bajpai had now approached the Court demanding that the delay of 458 days in filing the Revision Petition be condoned.

Justice I.S. Mehta, however, refused to condone the delay, opining that Mr. Bajpai's application was a "misuse of process of law".

The Court noted that even though Mr. Bajpai had received the certified copies of the impugned orders in April this year, he had claimed to receive them only in the month of June. Noting that he had failed to provide any "justifiable and bona fide explanation", it observed, "Therefore, the petitioner had to explain the delay on each and every account to which the petitioner failed to make out bona fide on his part on the aforesaid reasons."

It, thereafter, ruled, "The present application under Section 482 Cr.P.C. read with Section 5 of the Limitation Act for condonation of delay of 458 days lacks justifiable and bona fide grounds for condonation of delay. Therefore, the same is dismissed."