Criminal defamation case: BJP hails Supreme Court verdict against Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court verdict dismissing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition for quashing the criminal defamation proceedings against him, and said it is a "legal slap" on the "politics of baseless allegations".

The criminal and civil defamation proceedings were initiated by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Kejriwal over allegations of wrongdoings in the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) when Jaitley was at the helm of the state cricketing body.

Kejriwal in his plea contended that Jaitley has also filed a civil suit in the Delhi High Court.

Welcoming the decision, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit chief Satish Upadhyay said: "The clear order of the court is a legal slap on the politics of baseless allegations practised by Kejriwal."

Upadhyay said: "The Supreme Court's decision is a warning for the likes of Kejriwal who use baseless allegations for political blackmail."