Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing regarding his plea against the Delhi High Court’s decision not to quash defamation proceedings against him. The case stems from Tharoor’s controversial “scorpion on Shivling” remarks, which allegedly targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The request for an expedited hearing was made to a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, who extended court hours until 6 pm on Monday, deviating from the usual closing time of 4 pm. Tharoor’s lawyer stressed the urgency of the hearing, noting that without Supreme Court intervention, the Congress leader would be required to appear in a Delhi court on Tuesday concerning the private defamation complaint filed against him.
Responding to the plea, Chief Justice Chandrachud instructed the lawyer to circulate an email regarding the matter for immediate review, indicating the court’s willingness to address the urgency of the issue.
The defamation proceedings originate from a complaint by Rajiv Babbar, vice-president of the Delhi BJP. Babbar’s complaint, filed following Tharoor’s remarks made in 2018, claims that the statement not only defamed Prime Minister Modi but also tarnished the image of the BJP and its members broadly.
The Delhi High Court had initially stayed the criminal proceedings against Tharoor in 2020 but revoked this interim order on August 29, 2023, directing that the defamation case proceed in the trial court. The High Court had labeled the remarks as “despicable and deplorable,” indicating a prima facie case of defamation.
Tharoor’s plea challenges both the trial court’s 2019 order, which summoned him as an accused, and the initial 2018 complaint by Babbar.
