India News | Rajeev Chandrasekhar Challenges Trial Court’s Dismissal of Defamation Complaint Against Tharoor; Delhi HC Issues Notice

New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a petition filed by BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The appeal challenges a trial court’s decision to dismiss Chandrasekhar’s criminal defamation complaint against Tharoor.

The bench of Justice Ravinder Dudeja sought a response from Shashi Tharoor after hearing detailed submissions by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, who appeared on behalf of Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The matter has been listed for hearing on September 15, 2025.

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Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani argued that the trial court had issued a grossly erroneous order in dismissing the Revisionist’s (Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s) defamation complaint. He contended that the Revisionist had sought the prosecution of the Respondent (Shashi Tharoor ) for criminal defamation under Section 203 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. However, the court exercised judicial discretion perversely and overlooked material evidence on record.

Furthermore, Jethmalani submitted that the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, in delivering the impugned order, had failed to recognize the Respondent’s attempt to gain an unfair advantage in the election by making false statements right before the polls. He argued that these statements not only severely damaged the credibility and reputation of the Revisionist–leading to his defeat by a narrow margin–but also undermined the principles of free and fair elections, which form the cornerstone of democracy

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In February 2025, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi declined to issue summons to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in a defamation complaint filed by BJP leader Rajeev Chandrashekhar.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) dismissed the complaint after reviewing pre-summoning evidence presented by the complainant’s counsel, ruling that the case did not establish defamation against the proposed accused.

Earlier, on September 21, 2024, the court had taken cognisance of the defamation complaint and directed the complainant to present pre-summoning evidence.

Chandrashekhar alleged that Tharoor falsely claimed in an interview that he had bribed voters in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency. He argued that this statement damaged his reputation and contributed to his loss in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In its September 21 order, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate stated: “Based on the submissions and material placed on record, which prima facie disclose the ingredients of the offence, I take cognisance of the offences under Sections 500 IPC and 171G IPC.”

The complaint further alleged that Tharoor defamed Chandrashekhar by making false and derogatory statements on national television, knowingly misrepresenting facts with the intent to harm his reputation and influence the election outcome.

Additionally, it was claimed that the interview was widely circulated by various news channels and social media platforms at the behest of the proposed accused, leading to reputational damage and ultimately contributing to Chandrashekhar’s electoral defeat in 2024. (ANI)

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