A Delhi court on Friday agreed to hear a criminal defamation complaint filed against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for his alleged "scorpion" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After taking cognisance of the defamation complaint, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal set December 22 for recording the statement of complainant and Bhartiya Janata Party leader Rajeev Babbar.
Tharoor, with "mala fide intention, made the statement which is not only abuse of the Hindu deity but also defamatory," the complaint alleged.
In his complaint, Babbar said being a vice-president of the BJP's Delhi unit, he was "identified as a worker/supporter of Narendra Modi and BJP" and that Tharoor's statement hurt his religious sentiment.
The complaint termed the statement "intolerable abuse" and "absolute vilification" of the faith of the people.
Tharoor stoked a controversy last month while speaking at the Bangalore Literature Festival, claiming that an unnamed RSS leader had compared Modi to "a scorpion sitting on a Shivling".
The complaint has been filed under sections 499 and 500 of IPC relating to defamation. If convicted, Tharoor may face a maximum punishment of two years in jail.
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