On Wednesday, 1st April, A Delhi court rejected a criminal defamation case against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, filed by Lipika Mitra, wife of Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti. The court said there was no ground to proceed further with the case.
Delhi Court Rejects Defamation Case Filed By AAP Leader's Wife Against Union Minister #NirmalaSitharaman #Defamation @nsitharaman https://t.co/tfGiufeDTf
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) April 1, 2026
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal of Rouse Avenue Courts refused to take cognisance of the complaint, stating, “I don’t see anything in this matter to proceed further.” He added that the complaint stands dismissed. A detailed order is still awaited.
The case was filed by Mitra over remarks made by Sitharaman during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign. According to the complaint, the statements were made during a press conference and later broadcast on platforms like YouTube as well as news channels, including Republic TV and NDTV.
Mitra claimed that the comments harmed her husband’s public image and were aimed at affecting his chances in the New Delhi parliamentary constituency.
She also said that personal issues between her and Bharti had already been resolved in May 2019, and that they have been living together peacefully since then. However, the complaint stated that this part was not mentioned in the press interaction, which, according to her, created a negative impression and caused mental distress to the family.
The complaint invoked provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and stated that the remarks affected Bharti’s reputation and social standing. It also mentioned the emotional impact on the couple and their children.
The court, however, was not convinced that the allegations warranted initiation of criminal proceedings. Rejecting the plea, the Court observed that “mere conjugal relation does not create a bar on an advocate representing his or her spouse.”
The magistrate further said that while advocates must act as officers of the court and not derive personal benefits from litigation, the law treats husband and wife as “two separate individuals having different proprietary and pecuniary interests.”
Earlier the court had imposed a fine of ₹5000 on Lipika Mitra for failure to appear in the court during the proceedings of her case.
Somnath Bharti’s reaction to the court order
Reacting to the court’s decision, Somnath Bharti said he would challenge the order. In a post on his X, he stated that he respects the judicial process and would file an appeal as provided under the Constitution.
I am yet to go through the order and will file an appeal against the dismissal. Unlike BJP’s CM Rekha Gupta Ji, I won’t allege that @BJP4India managed the Ld Judge unconstitutionally. Ld judge has passed a judicial order and Baba Saheb’s constitution provides a remedy against the… https://t.co/Osd1oDFYKo
— Somnath Bharti सोमनाथ भारती (@attorneybharti) April 1, 2026
He further added, “Unlike BJP leaders, I will not question the integrity of this court, and I will use the legal process to appeal against this order.”
