Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has now apologised formally to BJP youth wing member Ankit Bhardwaj, for allegations made against him last year regarding the assault on AAP’s rebel MLA and former water minister of Delhi, Kapil Mishra.
Last year in the month of May, Kapil Mishra had levelled explosive allegations against CM Arvind Kejriwal and former cabinet colleague Satyendra Jain. He was ousted from the post of minister and then his party membership was suspended. Then on 10th May Kapil Mishra was assaulted by a man while he was at a hunger strike. The man was identified as an AAP volunteer named Ankit Bhardwaj in media reports, who had confessed to the police that he had been working for AAP since the last 2 years. But the AAP leadership soon started circulating that another person with the same name, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) executive member Ankit Bhardwaj had attacked Mishra. Sanjay Singh also had identified the BJYM’s Bhardwaj as the attacker, sharing his pictures and social media accounts on social media. Arvind Kejriwal had also shared social media posts where the BJYM leader was accused of attacking Kapil Mishra.
मानहानि के केस में आम आदमी पार्टी के नेता संजय सिंह ने बीजेपी नेता अंकित भारद्वाज से मांगी माफ़ी.
आजतक संवाददाता @twtpoonam ने @KapilMishra_IND के साथ मारपीट से जुड़े इस मामले में मानहानि के केस दायर करने वाले अंकित भारद्वाज से बात की. #ReporterDiary https://t.co/mf6keLEwEb pic.twitter.com/AHBR92fBRd— आज तक (@aajtak) December 12, 2018
On 12th May, BJP’s Ankit Bhardwaj sent a notice to Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh asking them to apologise and state the truth on social media plus in a press conference within two days. But, they did not comply, following which Bhardwaj filed a legal civil defamation suit worth only Re 1, against Sanjay Singh.
In September this year, Delhi court framed defamation notice against Sanjay Singh under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
Today, after facing legal pressure Sanjay Singh finally apologised to Ankit Bhardwaj without conditions at Patiala High Court.
“Last year I had given Sanjay Singh time to apologise for false allegations, before filing suit. But, he did not comply deliberately, so as to stretch legal proceedings. Now, after mounting legal pressure, he was compelled to apologise.” Ankit said to Aaj Tak, and added that AAP leaders are habitual of making frivolous allegations. He said that he has accepted the apology by Singh.
After the court was informed that the matter has been settled after an unconditional apology by the AAP MP, the court allowed the Ankit Bhardwaj to withdraw the defamation case.
This was not only defamation suit that is pending on Sanjay Singh. In October this year, Ahmedabad city court had issued a summon to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh over a defamation suit filed by Reliance infrastructure and other Reliance group companies led by Anil Ambani. This suit was filed in response to comments made by Singh in a press conference on February 13. He had raised suspicions about the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. He said that the Rafale deal is ‘the deal of scams’, alleging that Modi government is paying an “astronomical price” for the jets.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in December 2015 had filed a defamation case against Arvind Kejriwal and 5 others for what he claimed were false allegations regarding his alleged role in certain irregularities in the DDCA (Delhi & District Cricket Association).
In April this year Sanajy Singh, CM Kejriwal, then AAP leader Ashutosh and AAP National Executive Member Raghav Chadha had issued apology letters to Arun Jaitley.
CM Kejriwal has also apologised to Shiromani Akali Dal’s General Secretary Bikram Majithia, for wrongfully defaming him. CM Kejriwal had alleged that Majithia is complicit in a “multi-million rupee drug racket” in Punjab when he was a revenue minister. Following which, Majithia had filed a defamation against CM Kejriwal Sanjay Singh and Ashish Khetan. This had sprouted an internal feud in AAP’s Punjab unit, which triggered MP Bhagwant Man’s resignation. Sukhpal Singh Khaira, AAP leader and the leader of the opposition in Punjab assembly had strongly condemned the apology and claimed that Kejriwal’s leadership has gone weak.
CM Kejriwal has similarly also apologised to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal against defamation suits filed by them.
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