Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s plea in defamation case dismissed

A Delhi court on Wednesday refused to entertain Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s plea seeking direction to restrain Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti from appearing as a lawyer for his wife in a defamation case. Bharti’s wife, Lipika Mitra, had filed a criminal complaint against Sitharaman, alleging defamation. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal was hearing Sitharaman’s plea. Dismissing the plea, the court stated, “This Court finds that there is no bar on a husband or wife prosecuting or defending their spouse. A spouse can also seek the maximum possible punishment or compensation while prosecuting or defending their spouse—there is no bar on this either.” The court stated, “Husband and wife are two separate natural persons in the eyes of law, and their economic interests may differ.”