In a recent development at the Delhi High Court, Justice Ravinder Dudeja has ordered BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga to file a response within four weeks to a plea by fellow party member Dr. Subramanian Swamy. This directive is part of ongoing proceedings in a criminal defamation case where Swamy faces allegations of defamation by Bagga.
The case, which has seen numerous legal twists, escalated when Swamy was summoned by a magisterial court, prompting him to seek the quashing of these proceedings at the High Court. His move followed a stay on the trial court proceedings issued by the High Court on April 4, 2022.
During Wednesday’s hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Swamy, highlighted that Bagga had yet to submit his response to the court. In response, Bagga’s counsel argued that Swamy needed to address the maintainability of his plea first—a requirement previously set by the High Court.
Justice Dudeja, addressing this procedural tangle, emphasized that Bagga should not only file his reply but also include arguments on the maintainability issue within the same document.
The background of the dispute traces back to a 2021 incident when Swamy allegedly accused Bagga, via a tweet, of having a history of petty crimes prior to his affiliation with the BJP, as supposedly evidenced by multiple arrests by the New Delhi Mandir Marg Police Station. Swamy’s defense insists that the trial court misinterpreted his tweet and contends that there is public evidence supporting his claims.
Conversely, Bagga has firmly refuted these allegations in his testimony, arguing that they were baseless and intended to tarnish his reputation. The trial court, convinced by the preliminary evidence, found sufficient grounds to proceed against Swamy, leading to his summoning in March 2022.
