PM Modi Degree Row: Gujarat Court issues arrest warrant against jailed AAP leader Sanjay Singh in defamation case

Arvind Kejriwal and Singh are accused of tarnishing the image of Gujarat University (GU) through their “sarcastic” and “derogatory” statements related to Prime Minister Modi’s degree.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh is being produced before the Delhi court in connection with the Delhi Excise Police case. (File photo: ANI)

PM Modes degree row: A court in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on Thursday issued a production order against jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay in a defamation case over his comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s education level.

The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SJ Panchal issued the production order against Singh after his lawyer informed the court that he had not received any instruction from his client as the AAP Rajya Sabha MP is behind bars in Tihar Jail in Delhi.

Singh was arrested on October 5 in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam.

Through the production order, the magistrate directed the local police to take Singh into custody from Tihar Jail and produce him before the court on January 11 at 11 am when the court will hear the case further.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Singh are accused of tarnishing the image of Gujarat University (GU) through their “sarcastic” and “derogatory” statements in connection with Prime Minister Modi’s degree.

When the court started hearing witnesses on Thursday, Kejriwal’s lawyer filed a request for exemption from appearing. The court accepted the plea.

When Singh’s lawyer informed the court that he had not received instructions from Singh as the AAP leader was behind bars, GU’s lawyer Amit Nair strongly objected, saying it was a tactic by the AAP leader to further drag out the case to set.

He then urged Magistrate Panchal to issue a production order against Singh. The court accepted Nair’s plea and issued an order.

The court had summoned the two leaders in the past after noticing that prima facie there appeared to be a case against them under Section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

GU registrar Piyush Patel had filed a defamation case against the two leaders over their comments after the Gujarat HC set aside the Chief Information Commissioner’s order on Prime Minister Modi’s degree.

They made “defamatory” statements at press conferences and on their Twitter, now X, criticizing the university for Modi’s degree, the complainant said.

He said the AAP leaders’ comments about GU were defamatory and damaged the prestige of the university, which has established its name among the public.