SC declines plea of Manish Sisodia to quash defamation case filed by Assam CM

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain the plea of AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia challenging the Gauhati High Court order refusing to quash the criminal defamation case filed against him by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka was not inclined to grant relief to Sisodia. Thereafter his lawyer, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi withdrew the plea.

Sarma had initiated criminal proceedings against Sisodia in Assam for allegedly making a defamatory statement against him.

During the hearing, Justice Kaul told Sisodia's lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi that his client should have tendered an unconditional apology.

"If you reduce discourse up to this level... you have to face the consequences. You should have tendered an unconditional apology earlier," said the bench.

Justice Kaul further said, "Instead of realising what the country is going through (during Covid), you are just making statements. Somebody in those urgent times tried to work out. If you feel you are entitled, argue (there) and get the case dismissed."

Singhvi then withdrew the case filed by Sisodia.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar appeared for Sarma and Nalin Kohli, Senior Additional Advocate General of Assam appeared for the State.

Sisodia had moved the High Court after the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Kamrup asked Sisodia to appear before it on November 19 in connection with the case filed by Sarma in June.

The High Court on November 4 dismissed Sisodia's plea seeking to cancel the summon and the case against him. Thereafter, challenging the High Court's order Sisodia approached the top court.

On June 30, Sarma after strongly denying the allegations had filed a criminal defamation case against Sisodia for making corruption charges against him in connection with the supply of PPE kits at higher than market rates to National Health Mission (NHM) authorities during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sarma, who was the state health minister when the orders were placed in 2020 during the first BJP-led state government, placed urgent supply orders to the firms of his wife and son's business partners, the AAP leader had claimed.

On June 21, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of the Assam Chief Minister, had filed a Rs 100-crore defamation case against Sisodia over the same allegation.

( With inputs from ANI )