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Gujarat High Court Rejects Separate Trials for Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh in PM Degree Defamation Case

The ruling keeps the defamation case on a joint track under Section 223 of the CrPC.

Overview

  • Justice M.R. Mengdey on January 13 dismissed petitions by Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh seeking separate trials, with the detailed order awaited.
  • The decision upholds earlier rulings by the Ahmedabad magistrate and city sessions courts that refused to split the proceedings.
  • Courts found the April 1–2, 2023 press conferences and subsequent social media posts formed a single transaction animated by a common purpose.
  • Gujarat University registrar Piyush Patel’s complaint alleges the remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree defamed the institution, leading to summons under IPC Section 500.
  • The joint criminal trial in Ahmedabad will continue, despite the leaders’ arguments that differing dates, videos, and social media accounts warranted separate trials.