Arun Jaitley sues Delhi CM, AAP leaders for Rs 10 crore

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley surrounded by security and party workers as he arrives at Patiala House Courts yesterday.

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday filed both civil and criminal defamation cases against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for allegedly defaming him and sought Rs 10 crores in damages and their prosecution for offences that entails a punishment of up to two years in jail.

Arvind Kejriwal

A week after a CBI raid on the CM's secretariat against his principal secretary that triggered allegations by AAP against Jaitley in the affairs of the DDCA, the minister took the legal recourse saying the AAP leaders' ‘malicious and defamatory' campaign was causing irreversible damage to him. The others who have been named in both the petitions are Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpai.

Five AAP leaders against whom a defamation case has been filed by Jaitley. File Pics

‘We aren't scared'
A defiant Kejriwal yesterday asserted that the AAP will not be intimidated by the civil and criminal defamation suits against him and five other AAP leaders by Jaitley and asked him to prove his innocence before the inquiry commission. He suggested that the finance minister should instead cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry formed by the Delhi government to probe the alleged irregularities in the DDCA.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley surrounded by security and party workers as he arrives at Patiala House Courts yesterday. pic/PTI

"Jaitley should not try to scare us by filing cases against us. Our battle against corruption shall continue. Jaitley ji should cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry and prove his innocence there," Kejriwal tweeted.

Jaitley to stay: Govt
The Centre yesterday ruled out resignation of Jaitley over allegations of corruption in Delhi cricket body DDCA which he headed from 1999 to 2013, as Congress member disrupted proceedings of Rajya Sabha.