Delhi HC passes interim order favouring L-G's defamation suit against AAP leaders

Delhi High Court on Tuesday passed an ad interim injunction order in favour of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, who had moved a defamation suit against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders for levelling allegations against him of corrupt practices during demonetisation.

"I passed an ad interim injunction order in favour of the plaintiff and a take down order. There are detailed directions," Justice Amit Bansal said in the order. The order in the matter was reserved earlier on September 22.

Saxena approached the court seeking a temporary injunction restraining the AAP and its five senior leaders -- Sanjay Singh, Atishi Marlena, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Jasmine Shah and Durgesh Pathak.

In the previous hearing, L-G's counsels submitted that the AAP leaders' tweets and press conferences, which have been widely reported, were 'derogatory' and 'malicious' and against a high constitutional functionary.

In August, the AAP came forward with serious allegations against the L-G, saying that he had "indulged in money laundering during demonetisation, besides gross misuse of power as the Chairman of the Khadi Gramodyog".

During a media briefing, Marlena alleged that two Khadi Village Industries cashiers testified against Saxena.

"Why wasn't an investigation ordered against him? AAP demands the Central government and the CBI to get a thorough investigation done in V.K. Saxena's Rs 1,400 crore scam case. This is a clear case of money laundering, the ED must take up a probe and raid his offices and residences," she said.

"Two of the cashiers of KVIC, Sanjeev Kumar and Pradeep Yadav, have given a statement to various inquiry committees. It is not possible for the cashiers to convert black money into white because they hold very small posts. It is also not easy for the cashiers to give statements. But they have given written statements that they were pressured by the then Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena to exchange the old currency notes, which was basically black money, with new ones," Atishi told the media.

Other party leaders and the AAP had also demanded a CBI and ED probe into the matter and sought the L-G's arrest.

Earlier, the L-G had sent a legal notice to them on the allegations.