Delhi Court issues notice to Nirmala Sitharaman over defamation complaint by AAP leader’s wife

New Delhi, May 23: A Delhi court has issued a notice to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in response to a defamation complaint filed by Lipika Mitra, the wife of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti.

The complaint alleges that Sitharaman made defamatory remarks about the couple during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign reports Bar & Bench, Mitra claims that Sitharaman made misleading comments about her past marital issues with Bharti for political purposes, aiming to harm Bharti's reputation and affect his chances in the election. Bharti had contested from the New Delhi parliamentary constituency.

According to the complaint, while the couple had previously faced difficulties in their marriage, the matter was resolved in 2019 and they have since been living together with their children.

Mitra alleges that Sitharaman ignored this fact while making public statements, which caused damage to their personal and social standing. The complaint was taken up by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal, who directed that notice be issued to Sitharaman under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The next hearing in the case is scheduled for June 12.