Somnath Bharti’s wife files defamation case against Nirmala Sitharaman

A Delhi court will on Thursday hear a criminal defamation complaint filed by Lipika Mitra, wife of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti, against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The complaint stems from alleged defamatory, false and malicious statements made by Sitharaman about Mitra and Bharti’s marriage during a press conference held on May 17 last year. Mitra claims the comments were widely broadcast by national television channels with an intent to harm her husband’s reputation and electoral prospects. Bharti was an India Block candidate from New Delhi parliamentary constituency during the general elections. Earlier, the matter was listed before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal, who granted additional time to Sitharaman’s counsel to file a ‘vakalatnama’ and review the contents of the complaint. The court directed Mitra’s legal team to provide a soft copy of the complaint and a video link of the press conference containing the allegedly defamatory statements. According to Mitra’s plea, “the accused has made these statements with the sole intention to undermine her chances of winning and to cause her mental agony.” He claimed that Sitharaman’s comments have not only damaged Bharti’s political reputation but have also caused irreparable mental agony to her and her two minor children – a daughter and a son.