New Delhi: Welcoming the apex court's decision of staying the circular by Delhi government on filing defamation cases against media organisations for any news that causes damage to its reputation, expelled AAP leader Prashant Bhushan today criticised the “double standard” of the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation.
“When the Supreme Court saw that on one hand Arvind Kejriwal has filed a petition to stay his defamation case challeneging its constitutional validity.
“And on the other hand the same (Delhi) government is issuing circular that any media organisation, if it says something or writes anything which is defamatory, then a case of crimimal defemation will be filed on government expenditure.
“Then the Supreme Court said how can you have double standard on the issue,” Bhushan said.
The former AAP leader, who was expelled from the party last month has now formed his own organisation Swaraj Samvad, along with another ousted leader Yogendra Yadav.
Staying the circular by Delhi government on filing defamation cases against media organisations for any news that causes damage to its reputation or that of Kejriwal and other ministers, the court asked him to explain why it was issued.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had stayed proceedings in trial courts in a few criminal defamation cases against Kejriwal while deciding to hear his plea challenging “constitutional validity” of the penal provisions relating to defamation.
