Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Apologises To Supreme Court For Retweeting A YouTube Video Against BJP IT cell

In a defamatory case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday apologized in the Supreme Court saying he mistakenly retweeted a YouTube video posted by Dhruv Rathee. The matter was heard by the Axep Court bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, quoted the Chief Minister's apology in the court: "I can say this much that I made a mistake by retweeting."

The court has now passed the buck to the complainant regarding whether he accepts the apology from the Chief Minister and agrees to close the matter or not. The Supreme Court also halted proceedings against the CM in the defamation case until March 11.

The defamation suit against Arvind Kejriwal was filed by Vikas Sanskrityanan, who runs a social media titled 'I Support Narendra Modi'.

He had alleged that Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party supremo had retweeted a video titled 'BJP IT Cell Part II' by Dhruv Rathee, which comprises false information and claims against him.

Earlier this month, the Delhi high court refused the plea to scrap the summons issued to Delhi CM in the defamation suit because any information shared by a public figure, tweets, or retweets, may have a big impact on society.

"When a public figure with a political standing tweets or retweets defamatory posts, the repercussions escalate given the broader implications on society. The audience therefore becomes a citizenry at large whose opinion may be influenced by the information they consume, including the defamatory statement published on social media," Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said in her jedgement.

She added, "When millions of people follow a particular person, including the petitioner herein, on social media platforms such as Twitter, anything which is posted by the petitioner on his account is for the public who follow him."