A court in the national capital has fixed June 26 for hearing a criminal defamation complaint against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on behalf of Lipika Mitra, wife of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti.
Lipika Mitra has accused Sitharaman that the Finance Minister had given statements to Somnath Bharti about her (of Lipika). Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal postponed the hearing on Sitharaman’s plea.
The judge also directed Mitra’s counsel to make a copy of the complaint to the opposition party. The judge said, “Time was sought by the accused party to file Vakalatanama (documents related to the appointment of lawyer).”
The judge also said, “However, the summons has been duly served and its acknowledgment has been received. The accused party has sought a copy of the complaint. The complainant side agrees to provide its soft copy with an alleged derogatory content/interview link. ”
He said, “The date of June 26, 2025 to consider the case should be fixed.” A press conference on Sitharaman on May 17, 2024 accused of tarnishing Bharti’s reputation and making insulting, false and malicious statements with the intention of tarnishing Bharti’s reputation and weakening her chances of victory in general elections.
