Above: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressing a press conference at his official residence in New Delhi (File Picture) Photo: UNI

In the second defamation suit that finance minister Arun Jaitley had filed, specifically against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the defendant’s (Kejriwal) counsel wanted time to reply.

The Delhi High Court’s Justice Manmohan Singh on Tuesday (July 18) allowed the counsel for the defendant to file a reply through affidavit and rejoinder affidavit before the next hearing on July 24.

The case refers to Kejriwal’s earlier counsel, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani calling Jaitley a “crook”, and then insisting that his client (Kejriwal) had asked him to say so in court. Jaitley has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit in this regard.

Jaitley had also slapped a Rs 10 core defamation suit against five AAP officials, including Kejriwal, in an earlier case.

—India Legal Bureau