New Delhi [India], November 24 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot to file a reply on an MLA Vijender Gupta plea challenging the summons issued against him by a trial court in a criminal defamation case.

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notice to Delhi Govt and Gahlot and listed the matter for further hearing on March 4.

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The court also stayed the trial court order summoning MLA Vijender Gupta in the matter.

Gupta has challenged summons issued against him by a trial court in a criminal defamation case filed by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot for allegedly making a false statement of corruption against him in relation to the procurement of public buses.

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Ajay Burman, Senior Advocate, and lawyer Satya Ranjan Swain appeared for Vijender Gupta today.

"That the Petitioner vide his various tweets has raised the issue of financial irregularities m the tender in question which was proposed and passed by the Board of DTC of which the Complainant is the Chairman based on facts and documents; It is submitted that the complaint I tweets I posts of the Petitioner were based on his own personal opinion and true facts in his knowledge which was published and expressed in good faith in light of the larger public interest involved relating to the conduct of a public servant (i.e. the Complainant herein) in discharge of his public functions and his role/character in such actions of the government," Gupta said in his plea.

The Rouse Avenue Court, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey last month after hearing the arguments said, "The Court is of the considered view on the basis of an oral submission, a document placed and proved on record in pre summoning evidence by the complainant and the deposition of complainant witnesses that accused Vijender Gupta has prima facie committed the offences punishable U/s 499/500/501 IPC. Accordingly, accused Vijender Gupta be summoned for November 16, 2021."

The Delhi Cabinet Minister Kailash Gehlot who is holding several portfolios including transport ministry recently has moved to Delhi Court and filed a criminal defamation complaint against BJP MLA Vijender Gupta for allegedly making false statements of corruption against him in relation to the procurement of public buses.

State Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot through defamation complaint stated that Vijender Gupta a sitting MLA of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has defamed and tarnished the reputation of the Complainant (Kailash Gehlot).

The complaint alleged that the accused (Vijender Gupta) intentionally for malafide purposes and to gain political mileage has levelled defamatory, scandalous, mischievous, false and scurrilous allegations on the complainant both verbal as well as in writing.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently requested the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to conduct a preliminary inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged irregularities in the purchase of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi government. (ANI)

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