Ahmedabad: A city sessions court on Monday rejected applications by former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and AAP MP Sanjay Singh, denying them relief in a criminal defamation case filed by Gujarat University (GU) over their alleged remarks regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.

Kejriwal had sought a separate trial from Singh, claiming no common criminal intent, while Singh challenged the magistrate’s recording of his plea under Section 251 of the CrPC. Both pleas were dismissed.

Additional Sessions Judge M. P. Purohit ruled that the two acted in a single transaction with a common purpose, using defamatory language and uploading a video, making Section 223(a) of the CrPC applicable. Singh’s plea was also rejected, with the court stating that it cannot quash an order passed at the accused’s request.

GU had lodged the defamation complaint in April 2023 after the politicians made statements allegedly harming the university’s reputation. The metropolitan court took cognisance of the complaint and issued summons to Kejriwal and Singh. This followed the High Court setting aside the CIC’s direction to GU to disclose Modi’s MA degree. DeshGujarat