Arvind Kejriwal Admits his mistake in Sharing "Defamatory" Video, Seeks Resolution in Supreme Court

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal conceded to a mistake in retweeting a purportedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee concerning the BJP IT Cell. Kejriwal made this admission before the Supreme Court on Monday, expressing regret for his actions.

The matter arose in response to a plea filed by Kejriwal challenging a Delhi High Court order that upheld summons issued to him as an accused in a criminal defamation case. However, instead of issuing notice on the plea, a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta inquired whether the complainant sought to close the matter in light of Kejriwal's apology.

During the proceedings, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, acknowledged the mistake, stating, "I can say this much that I made a mistake by retweeting." The Delhi High Court, in its judgment dated February 5, emphasized that reposting alleged libelous content would fall under defamation law.

The high court underscored the importance of responsibility in retweeting content and noted that sharing defamatory material without a disclaimer could lead to legal consequences. Kejriwal had argued in the high court that his tweet was not intended to harm the complainant, Vikas Sankrityayan.

Kejriwal's plea before the high court criticized the trial court for issuing summons without providing reasons and alleged a lack of judicial application of mind in its orders. The defamation case stemmed from a YouTube video titled 'BJP IT Cell Part II,' circulated by Rathee, containing purported false and defamatory allegations.

The Supreme Court bench instructed the trial court to defer proceedings in the defamation case involving Kejriwal until March 11, pending further developments in the matter.