In connection with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) defamation case filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley appeared in a Delhi court on March 6 where he was cross-examined by senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani who is the counsel for CM Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders. According to few media reports, Jethmalani asked some tough questions to Arun Jaitley in the court.
Jaitley was asked to justify that how his reputation has been hampered in an “irreparable and unquantifiable” way and secondly, how does this defamation suit has any link with his “personal feelings of greatness”. Taking a jibe at Arun Jaitley, Jethmalani asked, “There is no objective rational reason, besides the value that you put on yourself?”
As stated by the media reports, Jaitley said in his defence, “The loss of my reputation has been partly quantified in terms of money. Loss of reputation causes mental distress to the person defamed, which it did in my case.”
When asked if Finance Minister was feeling defamed due to his ‘personal feeling’ about ‘greatness’, he replied that views were based on opinions of his friends and well-wishers.
Earlier on February 25, Kejriwal approached the Delhi High Court in order to seek the bank details of Arun Jaitley and his family members from the year 1999 to 2015. In the petition filed by Kejriwal in HC, he has asked for the the copies of bank statements of all the bank accounts of Jaitley, copies of all the ledgers of the book of accounts, copies of all his the bank statements of entities where he has direct or indirect ownership or equity shareholding of more than 10 per cent from the financial year 1999 to 2015.
