New Delhi, 18 August (H.S.):

The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in a criminal defamation case filed by Delhi government minister Parvesh Verma against Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal directed that the matter be taken up next on August 25 following a request from Bharadwaj’s counsel.

During Tuesday’s hearing, counsel representing Saurabh Bharadwaj sought additional time to verify whether the complete copy of the petition had been received. After hearing the request, the court fixed August 25 as the next date of hearing.

Earlier, on August 8, the court had issued a notice to Bharadwaj. Parvesh Verma had recorded his statement before the court on July 4, alleging that Bharadwaj had made false allegations with the intention of damaging the reputation of him and his family.

Verma alleged that Bharadwaj had falsely claimed that, while serving as a minister, he had misused his position to appoint an alleged associate as a trustee of a private school trust worth approximately Rs 500 crore.

In his criminal defamation complaint, Verma alleged that Bharadwaj had made social media posts on May 15 and 16 with the intention of defaming him. The complaint states that Bharadwaj had also alleged that Verma had acted in favour of school employees who were accused in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case.

Verma has contended that these posts were deliberately made to tarnish his reputation in the eyes of the public.

In connection with the same dispute, Verma has also filed a civil defamation suit against Bharadwaj before the Delhi High Court. In the civil defamation proceedings, Verma has sought damages of Rs 5 crore from Bharadwaj.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar