Delhi Court Summons Atishi In Defamation Case Over ‘Poaching’ Remark Against BJP

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court summoned AAP Minister Atishi to appear on June 29 in a defamation case filed by Praveen Shankar Kapoor, BJP’s Delhi media head. The case centers around Atishi’s allegations of the BJP ‘poaching’ AAP legislators. In April, the BJP issued a defamation notice to Atishi after she claimed she was pressured to join the BJP or face arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) within a month.

Atishi criticized the BJP, questioning how the party formed governments in Goa, Manipur, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh without majority seats. She also questioned how leaders from other parties who joined the BJP seemed to avoid legal troubles, citing the example of Praful Patel and the Air India scam.

BJP leader and New Delhi constituency candidate, Bansuri Swaraj, responded by stating that AAP cannot continue making defamatory statements against the BJP without accountability. She emphasized that Atishi will now have to present her side in court. ACMM Rouse Avenue summoned Atishi on June 29, requiring her to clarify her January 27, 2024, tweet and her allegations made during an April 2 press conference, where she claimed she received an offer to join the BJP.