Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh has initiated both criminal and civil defamation proceedings against Saurabh Bharadwaj, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The legal action stems from social media posts made by Bharadwaj, which allegedly suggested that Singh improperly leveraged his position to favor officials at a school embroiled in a serious legal issue involving the rape of a three-year-old girl.
The civil defamation lawsuit, seeking damages of ₹5 crore, has been filed in the Delhi High Court. The case was brought before Joint Registrar (Judicial) Gagandeep Jindal on May 25. In response, the court issued a summons to Bharadwaj and scheduled the next hearing for September 7.
Simultaneously, the criminal defamation case was presented to Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Paras Dalal at the Rouse Avenue Courts on May 22. The court has designated June 9 and June 11 for the examination of Singh, the complainant, and his witnesses.
Singh contends that Bharadwaj disseminated “false, malicious, and highly defamatory” content via tweets and videos posted on May 15 and May 16, from his X handle. These communications purportedly accused Singh of utilizing his ministerial role to appoint an associate as a trustee within a private school trust valued at approximately ₹500 crores, implying that the trust is effectively owned by Singh.
Furthermore, Singh alleges that Bharadwaj insinuated his influence was exerted in favor of employees of the school managed by the trust, who are implicated in the POCSO case. Singh argues that these actions reflect allegations of corruption, nepotism, and suppression of files, adversely affecting his public reputation.
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The Deputy Chief Minister articulated that these claims are “malicious, false, and full of lies,” crafted with the intention to tarnish his reputation among the public, peers, media, and broader society. Singh asserts that the allegations are entirely unfounded and were made knowingly by Bharadwaj with the intent to defame him.
Representing Parvesh Sahib Singh are Senior Advocate Sacchin Puri, along with advocates Praveen Kumar, Surbhi Sharma, Sarthak Gupta, Surender Sinha, Sumar Raj, and Nikunj Tripathi.
