The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday dismissed the appeals filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh challenging the rejection of their applications seeking separate trials in a criminal defamation case linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s academic qualifications.
A single bench of Justice M R Mengdey upheld the findings of both the trial and sessions courts, which had earlier turned down the plea for splitting the trial proceedings against the former Delhi Chief Minister and the Rajya Sabha MP.
The defamation case stems from allegedly “sarcastic and derogatory” remarks made by the AAP leaders against Gujarat University over PM Modi’s educational degree, particularly following an April 2023 Gujarat High Court judgment that quashed an order of the Chief Information Commissioner directing the disclosure of Modi’s degree details.
The complaint was filed by Piyush Patel, registrar of Gujarat University, who alleged that the comments made during press conferences and on social media by both leaders were intended to tarnish the university’s reputation and were widely disseminated with malicious intent.
Kejriwal and Singh had sought separate trials on the grounds that their statements were distinct in content, made on different dates, and thus merited individual adjudication. However, the courts found otherwise.
The city sessions court, while dismissing their plea on December 15, 2025, had noted that both accused made statements within a close timeframe—on April 1 and 2, 2023—and as members of the same political party, were “engaged in one transaction, animated by a common purpose,” showing continuity in their actions.
The High Court agreed with this reasoning and refused to interfere with the lower courts’ findings. It observed that a prima facie case under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (defamation) had been made out, justifying a joint trial.
- In April 2023, the Gujarat High Court had set aside an order by the CIC that had directed Gujarat University to disclose information about PM Modi’s academic degrees.
- Following this, Kejriwal and Singh held press conferences and made posts on social media platforms, allegedly mocking Gujarat University and questioning its credibility.
- The university termed the remarks defamatory and damaging to its institutional integrity and filed a criminal complaint.
- The magistrate court issued summonses to both leaders under Section 500 IPC.
- After rejection of their application for separate trials by the trial court and sessions court, the AAP leaders approached the high court, which has now upheld the decisions.
