Defamation case by the Chief Minister against Delhi Pradesh President Vijender Gupta

Delhi High Court imposes cost of three thousand rupees on Chief Minister of Delhi for her failure to present her case in defamation suit

            New Delhi, 6^th  January.  Delhi High Court has imposed cost of rupees three thousand on Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for her failures to present her case in a defamation suit related to power tariff.  The court has fixed the next date of hearing as 15th March in the case of defamation by the Chief Minister. 

            The case is related to defamation suit filed by the Chief Minister against Delhi Pradesh President Shri Vijender Gupta.  Last year the DERC had directed all the power companies to decrease the power tariff because they were earning profit.  Due to this the power companies panicked and took refuse to the Chief Minister and requested her to stop the directions of DERC to decrease power tariff.  The Chief Minister wrote a letter to the DERC to the effect that the case of decreasing power tariff is pending with the Government hence status quo be maintained.

            The Chief Minister deprived lakhs of power consumers from getting relief in power tariff and benefited the companies by acting in their favour. Strongly objecting to it, the BJP Delhi Pradesh President Shri Vijender Gupta accused the Chief Minister of acting in favour of power companies and disregarding the interests of power consumers.  The Chief Minister treated this statement of Shri Gupta given to the media as defamation and filed petition before the High Court.

            The Court gave the Chief Minister three dates for attending the court and presenting her case, but the Chief Minister always remained absent. Today Justice Kailash Gambhir took serious note on the failure of petitioner Shiela Dikshit for filing reply despite several opportunities given by the court and imposed cost of 3000 rupees. Next date of hearing is 15^th March.

            DERC is an autonomous institution. Chief Ministers do not have authority to interfere in its working.  The Solicitor General of India had also opined that the letter by the Chief Minister to DERC in favour of the power companies is unconstitutional.  Shri Gupta had stated that being the President of Delhi BJP which is the main opposition party in Delhi. Being a State President of political party, he has right to speak in the media over any issue of public interest and hence the defamation case of Chief Minister against him is unconstitutional and not maintainable. The Chief Minister was required to present her case.