New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday pulled up Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia over his petition against the defamation case file by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Further, the top court dismissed his plea.

While hearing the plea, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said Manish Sisodia’s lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, “If you cut public debate up to this mark… you have to face the consequences. You should have tendered an unconditional apology earlier."

After Himanta Biswa Sarma filed a criminal defamation case against him in August of this year, a court in Guwahati summoned Sisodia to appear on September 29 in connection with allegations he made during a press conference linking Sarma's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma to a corruption case in the supply of personal protection equipment in 2020 when there was a shortage of PPE kits in the state.

The video of the news conference in question was posted to the Aam Aadmi Party's YouTube page with the comment "Assam ke BJP CM ke bhrastachar ka yeh hai kacha chittha." In 2020, Sarma served as the health and family welfare minister for the first state government formed by the BJP.

 Singhvi said, his client has never acknowledged that Sarma's wife got the funds. By calling it a donation, you "created a virtue out of necessity," 

When Manish Sisodia was hauled up, he retracted his plea.

Manish Sisodia had approached the Gauhati High Court seeking quashing of the proceedings of matter, which is ongoing before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (M) at Guwahati.  

Therefore, it is apparent that the petitioner did not take care to double-check facts before making statements against respondent no. 2 and his wife, even though he has not been able to show that the information in his press conference was a copy of the information in "The Wire" and "The Cross Current." "ruled the High Court.

Satyendar Jain needs bail, pleads in SC for an early hearing

Former Bombay HC CJ Dipankar Datta takes oath as Supreme Court judge

SC collegium meeting details will not be made public, petition dismissed