Delhi High Court reserves order in Manoj Tiwari plea challenging summons in criminal defamation case by Manish Sisodia

The Delhi High Court today reserved its order in the petition filed by BJP leader Manoj Tiwari challenging the order summoning him in the criminal defamation case by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia (Manoj Kumar Tiwari vs Manish Sisodia & Ors)..A Single Judge Bench of Justice Anu Malhotra said that the order will be pronounced on December 17.The High Court has requested the trial court to defer the hearing in the defamation case till then..Sisodia had filed a defamation complaint against Tiwari and other BJP leaders including Vijender Gupta for alleging that he indulged in corrupt practices in relation to the construction of Delhi government school classrooms. Subsequently, summons were issued by a Special MP/MLA Court to Tiwari, Gupta and others..Challenging the summons and subsequent proceedings, Senior Advocate Pinky Anand, appearing for Tiwari, argued that the entire case was based on legally inadmissible evidence. .She assailed Sisodia's reliance on newspaper reports that quoted Tiwari making the allegedly defamatory statement, claiming that the same was mere hearsay and secondary evidence. .Appearing for Sisodia, Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa submitted that this was not the stage to test the admissibility of evidence..He added that the value of Sisodia's evidence would be seen by the court concerned at time of the trial, when witnesses, including editors of the media houses, would be summoned before it. .Appearing for the State, Standing Counsel (criminal) for the Delhi government Rahul Mehra also opposed Tiwari's petition.He stated that there was nothing preventing the BJP leader from going to the Delhi Police or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with the corruption claim against Sisodia.."They did not go to police agencies because they know they have nothing in their hand. It’s a white lie...”, Mehra said. .Mehra asserted that there was no reason to interfere with the proceedings before the trial court. .Vijender Gupta had also approached the Delhi High Court against the summoning order and criminal proceedings in the defamation case. The order in his petition was also reserved. Senior Advocate Sonia Mathur appeared for Gupta.