New Delhi September 30: The Supreme Court in an interim order on Monday stayed the proceedings of criminal defamation case against current and former Delhi Chief Ministers of Delhi Atishi and Arvind Kejriwal over their remarks on the alleged deletion of voter names from electoral roll in national capital in 2018. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued notice to Delhi Police and the complainant, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Babbar, and sought their responses in the matter.

In the meanwhile, proceedings before the trial court will remain stayed in the defamation case. Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi approached the apex court challenging Delhi High Court's refusal to quash criminal defamation case by BJP leader Rajeev Babbar over their remarks on the alleged deletion of voter names from the electoral roll in the national capital in 2018. Atishi and Kejriwal have challenged the September 2 order of the Delhi High Court. Arvind Kejriwal Allotted Seat Number 41 in Delhi Assembly With Manish Sisodia Next to Him; CM Atishi Gets Seat Number 1.

They had made remarks on the alleged deletion of names of 30 lakh voters belonging to some communities from electoral rolls in 2018. The High Court had said the imputations were prima facie "defamatory" with an intention of vilifying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and gaining undue political mileage. The High Court had dismissed the plea by Atishi, Kejriwal and others challenging the defamation proceedings pending before the trial court. The defamation complaint also named two other AAP leaders, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Manoj Kumar. Delhi CM Atishi Hails Return of AAP’s ‘Ram & Laxman’ Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in Assembly, Blames BJP for Kejriwal’s Resignation (Watch Video).

It had also directed the AAP leaders to attend the trial court hearing scheduled for October 3. Kejriwal and the other AAP leaders had challenged in the High Court the trial court's decision, which upheld the summons issued by the magistrate court following Babbar's complaint. The AAP leaders, before the High Court, sought to quash the magistrate court's March 15, 2019, order and the Sessions court's January 28, 2020, order, labelling the complaint as "politically motivated" saying Babbar was not an aggrieved party.