Arun Jaitley Deposes Before Delhi High Court In Defamation Case Against Kejriwal

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday appeared before the Delhi High Court in the Rs 10-crore civil defamation case filed by him against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders. They had made allegations of financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), which Jaitley headed for 13 years till 2013.

Responding to cross-examination by Kejriwal's counsel, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, the finance minister said that while he never complained about political criticism, these were statements questioning his integrity which had prompted him to file the defamation case.

Jethmalani, who was trying to prove that the case had no ground, asked Jaitley if the perception of loss of reputation had anything do with his “personal feelings of greatness”.

At one point during the exchange, Jethmalani asked why Jaitley's counsel has used the word loss of “goodwill” and not “reputation” in one of his letters. When the minister said the words are used interchangeably, Jethmalani waived a dictionary, saying the two words mean totally different things.

“Goodwill can also be enjoyed by a crook who has done some good things to somebody. Men in power who do good things for their good friends also enjoy a lot of goodwill. Do you agree that reputation does not suffer from this kind of defect,” asked Jethmalani.

A heated exchange followed after Kejriwal's side accused the lawyers from the other side of prompting or leading the witness, that is Jaitley.

The case proceedings will continue on Tuesday.

Kejriwal and the five AAP leaders had accused Jaitley of irregularities and financial bungling in DDCA. Denying all the charges, Jaitley filed a criminal defamation case against them in the Patiala House Court and the civil defamation case in the Delhi High Court.

The Supreme Court had on November 22 dismissed Kejriwal's plea seeking a stay on the trial court proceedings in the criminal defamation case.

Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.