Congress leader Tharoor moves SC in defamation case

New Delhi, Sep 09: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday sought an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court on his plea against a Delhi High Court verdict refusing to quash the defamation proceedings against him on a complaint over his alleged “scorpion on Shivling” remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A top court bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, who held the court till 6 pm as against the usual 4 pm, was requested by a lawyer that the plea be heard on Tuesday or else, the Congress leader will have to appear in a Delhi court in connection with the private defamation complaint the same day.

“Just circulate the email. I will look into it just now,” the CJI said.

The Delhi High Court refused to quash the defamation proceedings against Tharoor on August 29.

It had said prima facie, imputations like “scorpion on Shivling” against the prime minister are “despicable and deplorable”.

The high court had said prima facie, the remarks defamed the prime minister, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as its office-bearers and members.

The high court, which had on October 16, 2020 stayed the criminal proceedings against the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala in the defamation complaint, vacated the interim order and directed the parties to appear before the trial court on Tuesday (September 10).

The complaint against Tharoor was filed by Delhi BJP vice-president Rajiv Babbar. The Congress leader had sought setting aside of the trial court’s April 27, 2019 order summoning him as an accused in the criminal defamation complaint filed by Babbar as well as the November 2, 2018 complaint.