In a high-profile defamation case, the Delhi court has summoned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Minister Atishi to appear before the court on June 29th. The case stems from allegations made by Atishi that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attempted to bribe and poach AAP legislators.
The BJP's media head, Praveen Shankar Kapoor, filed the defamation case, alleging that the allegations made by Atishi damaged his and his party's reputation. The court, taking cognizance of the allegations, has named Atishi as an accused and ordered her to appear before the court on June 29th.
Kapoor, in his application to the court, cited a social media post by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, where he alleged that the BJP had contacted seven AAP MLAs and offered them a sum of Rs 25 crore each to switch sides. Additionally, Kapoor cited Atishi's claim that she had received an offer to join the BJP to save her political career, with the threat that if she refused, she would be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
In a press conference held in April, Atishi stated, The BJP has approached me through someone very close. They have asked me to join the BJP and said this will save my political career. They have threatened that if I don't switch over, ED will arrest me within a month.
Furthermore, Atishi alleged that she, along with party colleagues Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha, and Durgesh Pathak, would be arrested in the next two months. In his petition, Kapoor seeks the withdrawal of Atishi's remarks and an apology to be issued on television and social media.
