A Delhi court on Thursday summoned several BJP lawmakers and regional leaders in a defamation cased filed by the city’s deputy chief Manish Sisodia.
Some BJP politicians had leveled corruption allegations against Sisodia in connection with the construction of State-funded school buildings for Rs. 2,000 (about $2.80 billion).
The court has issued notices to three lawmakers – BJP’s Delhi Delhi provincial chief and parliamentarian Manoj Tiwari, and two other parliamentarians Hans Raj Hans and Parvesh Verma. The notices have been also sent to local State legislators and their party BJP spokesperson, asking them to defend themselves in the court on 18 December.
Earlier, BJP leader Tiwari filed a formal complaint with the Delhi Civil Commissioner against the State’s Deputy Chief Sisodia and sought an enquiry into the alleged school buildings scam linked to the construction of 12,000 classrooms in Delhi government schools.
Sisodia, in response, filed a criminal case against the politicians ffor making false and defamatory statements in print, electronic and social media. Terming all the allegations made by the politicians jointly and individually as false, he described them as defamatory and derogatory leveled with the intention of damaging his reputation and goodwill.
The defamation case comes just months ahead of Delhi State assembly elections.
