New Delhi, Sep 25: The Delhi High Court was informed Tuesday by counsel of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijendra Gupta that both the parties could not settle the dispute between them related to a defamation case.
Senior advocate Aman Lekhi, appearing for BJP leader Gupta, and Dikshit's advocate Mahmood Pracha told the court that both the parties could not reach a settlement, so the matter should be listed for arguments.
”Despite our best efforts, they have not settled the issue. Fix the matter for arguments,” Lekhi and Pracha told the court.
After hearing the counsel, Justice Kailash Gambhir posted the matter for Feb 19 for arguments.
The court had earlier asked both the leaders to settle their dispute amicably and responsibly, which had led the chief minister to file a defamation suit against the BJP leader for allegedly making unsavoury remarks against her.
Dikshit had filed a suit against Gupta after he refused to tender a “public apology” for setting up hoardings across the city accusing her government of “openly” looting thousands of crores of rupees.
The petition, filed by the chief minister, had stated that the BJP, under the leadership of Gupta, tried to defame her in public by putting up hoardings across the city accusing her government of corruption in fixing of new power tariff in connivance with private power distribution companies.
However, Gupta's counsel Pracha had earlier told the court that the action by his client was not intended to malign any individual but was directed against the government.
Dikshit had demanded a token Re.1 for the damage caused to her reputation by Gupta.
The hoardings were put up in June 2010. They had claimed that the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) was going to recommend reduction in power tariff, but the chief minister “came in the way”.
