Ahmedabad: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh have been summoned once again and are now asked to appear before the Ahmedabad Metro court on 13 July in a defamation case filed by Gujarat University. The case pertains to Kejriwal and Singh’s remarks regarding the degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The court had earlier summoned the accused to appear today, but they failed to do so. Today, the court asked Kejriwal’s lawyer to suggest a suitable date on which the accused can be present in the courtroom. The court informed that, as per the Supreme Court’s order, the Gujarat High Court has taken suo motu cognizance to expedite trials of cases involving MPs or MLAs.

After hearing arguments from advocates of both parties, the court directed Kejriwal and Singh to be present on July 13.

The defamation complaint was filed by Piyush Patel, the registrar of Gujarat University, following the AAP leaders’ comments in response to the Gujarat High Court’s verdict on PM Modi’s degree. The complaint alleged that the statements made by Kejriwal and Singh were defamatory and sarcastic, causing damage to the university’s esteemed reputation.

According to the complainant, Kejriwal’s comments included statements such as, “If there is a genuine degree, why isn’t it being provided?” ; “They are withholding the degree because it might be fake,” and “If the Prime Minister studied at Delhi University and Gujarat University, then Gujarat University should celebrate that its student became the country’s PM.” The university claims that Singh mentioned that “they (GU) are attempting to validate the PM’s fake degree.”

During the court proceedings, four witnesses were examined, and additional evidence was presented. The complainant’s lawyer argued that Kejriwal and Singh’s statements would lead one to believe that Gujarat University issues counterfeit and illegitimate degrees. The court had first summoned the accused on May 23. DeshGujarat