New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s plea seeking quashing of defamation proceedings against him by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Live Law reported.
While hearing the plea, Justice SK Kaul told Manish Sisodia’s lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, “If you reduce public debate up to this level… you have to face the consequences. You should have tendered an unconditional apology earlier.”
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The matter came up for hearing on Monday before a bench comprising Justices S K Kaul and A S Oka.
Appearing for Sisodia, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said one cannot use the authority to “browbeat” others and that the petitioner had never said any money was taken.
“The petitioner had not made any false statement. I said you have given a contract. It is a fact. You, later on, said that this contract was given for the charity. That you have said after it came in the public domain. Now I have nowhere said that you have received the money. He has nowhere said that she has received money,” Live Law quoted advocate Singhvi as saying.
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In August this year a court in Guwahati has summoned Sisodia to appear on September 29 after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lodged a criminal defamation case against him over allegations he made during a press conference linking Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma in a corruption case in the supply of personal protection equipment in 2020 when there was a shortage of PPE kits in the state.
On June 4, 2022, Sisodia in a press conference in Delhi had alleged that as Assam’s health minister, Sarma had favoured the firm of his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, which he has denied.
Sisodia, referring to media reports, had said that while the Assam government procured PPE kits for Rs 600 each from other companies, Sarma gave urgent supply orders to the firms of his wife and son’s business partners for Rs 990 apiece.
The opposition Congress, CPI, CPI (M), CPI (ML)-Liberation, RCPI, TMC, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad and Anchalik Gana Morcha had also demanded a CBI probe into the alleged corruption.
On June 1 this year, news websites ‘The Wire’ and ‘The Crosscurrent’ had in a joint investigative report claimed that the Assam government had placed four Covid-19-related emergency medical supply orders, most likely without following proper process.