Defamation case: Manjinder Singh Sirsa put on trial by Delhi court on complaint by Satyendar Jain

A Delhi court has put on trial BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa and others in a criminal defamation case filed by Delhi minister Satyendra Jain. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal framed the notice under Section 251 of the CrPC (dealing with the issuance of summons in such complaints) against Sirsa and others and fixed the matter for recording of evidence of Jain and his witnesses on July 17.

"The accusation under section 251 CrPC has been explained to counsel for accused Manjinder Singh Sirsa as well as to accused Vishnu Prakash Tripathi and Neetendra Srivastava to which they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Put up for post notice complainant's evidence on July 17," the judge said. Sirsa has alleged that he was indulging in circulating huge amounts of illegitimate money within the party, Jain claimed.

He has also accused a media house of publishing the alleged "libelous and slanderous statements" made by Sirsa. His counsel had said that these allegations were made in front of the national media but only one newspaper published it which shows they were hand in glove with each other.

Jain had filed two criminal defamation complaints against rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra and BJP leader Sirsa for allegedly defaming him by leveling graft charges against him. If convicted, the offense of defamation entails a maximum punishment of two years.

Regarding Sirsa, Jain said that the MLA made libelous statements by leveling corruption allegation against him. He said that making a statement on the basis of "hearsay" without any proof or evidence supporting it, is not only unbecoming of an MLA but also a crime of defaming a person.