Court summons Atishi in defamation case over 'poaching' remark

New Delhi: A Delhi court has summoned Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi in relation to a defamation complaint brought by Delhi BJP media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor against her. 

Atishi must appear in court on June 29th, according to the ANI news agency. Kapoor claimed that the accusations damaged his and his party's reputations. 

Kapoor also included Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the defamation case. Recognising the allegations, the court named Atishi as an accused, the New Indian Express reported.

Kejriwal claimed in January 2024 that the BJP was trying to overthrow Delhi's elected government by poaching. According to Kejriwal, the saffron party made contact with seven AAP MLAs and made an offer of Rs 25 crore for each of them to switch sides. According to Kejriwal, the BJP informed the AAP MLAs that he would be taken into custody soon. In an audio tape that Atishi claimed to possess, an "unknown" BJP politician is heard telling an AAP MLA about the "likely arrest of Kejriwal and the MLA-poaching plans." 

In a few days, the recording will be released to the public, she stated. According to reports, the BJP politician can be heard in the video predicting that Kejriwal will be detained and that they will overthrow the AAP administration following his arrest.

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