Setback for Arvind Kejriwal, SC dismisses plea over remarks on PM Modi’s degree

The Supreme Court dismissed a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, seeking a stay of criminal defamation proceedings initiated by Gujarat University over his comments in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.

In the plea, Kejriwal challenged an order of the Gujarat High Court that refused to quash summons in a defamation case over his alleged remarks over PM Modi's educational qualification.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti noted that a separate bench of the Supreme Court had junked the plea filed by AAP leader Sanjay Singh on April 8 in the same case.

“We must have a consistent approach,” the Supreme Court bench was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

On February 16, the Gujarat High Court had dismissed the pleas of Singh and Kejriwal seeking quashing of the summons issued against them in the case.

Both politicians had challenged in the high court the summons issued by a trial court in the case filed by the Gujarat University and the subsequent order of the sessions court dismissing their revision pleas against the summons.

PM Modi’s degree row: What has happened so far

Gujarat University Registrar Piyush Patel filed a defamation case against the leaders, saying Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh issued "defamatory" remarks during media briefings and on their X accounts, specifically directed towards the university in relation to PM Modi's educational credentials.

"The statements they made, which were aimed at Gujarat University, were of a defamatory nature and inflicted harm upon the university's reputation," the complainant said.

In April 2016, then Central Information Commissioner (CIC) M Sridhar Acharyulu had directed the Delhi University and the Gujarat University to provide information to Kejriwal on the degrees that PM Modi received. Three months later, the Gujarat High Court stayed the CIC order after the varsity approached it against that order.

The Gujarat High Court had last year set aside the Chief Information Commission (CIC) order and ruled that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) need not furnish the degree and postgraduate degree certificates of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The high court had then also imposed costs of ₹25,000 on Arvind Kejriwal. A week later, the AAP launched the ‘Show your Degree’ campaign.

Following this, the AAP chief filed a review petition, saying that the postgraduate degree of PM Modi was not available on the website of the university or elsewhere in the public domain as claimed by the university and as submitted by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of the university.

Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh were issued summons to appear before the Metropolitan court on August 11 last year. Following their summons Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh then moved the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on the defamation proceeding. 

In August 2023, the Gujarat High Court refused to grant an interim stay on the criminal defamation proceedings initiated against. The City Civil & Sessions Court Ahmedabad had on August 5, 2023, also rejected their plea to stay the proceedings in the trial pending the disposal of their revised plea.

(With inputs from agencies)