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A Delhi court Tuesday dismissed a criminal complaint filed by former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor accusing him of defamation.
Additional chief judicial magistrate Paras Dalal refused to summon Mr Tharoor, MP from Thiruvanathapuram, saying prima facie "no ingredients of defamation" was made in the complaint.
The BJP leader had alleged Mr Tharoor defamed him by making false and derogatory statements on national television, claiming that the BJP leader bribed voters in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Mr Chandrasekhar was facing off against Mr Tharoor in the Kerala constituency.
Mr Tharoor, said the former Minister, made the allegations with the intent to lower his reputation and to impact the result of the last general elections while knowing full well that the statements were false.
The interview(s) was/were published by various news channels as well as on social media platforms at the behest of the proposed accused and resulted in loss of reputation of the complainant in the society, which ultimately resulted in the complainant losing the Lok Sabha Elections, 2024, his complaint said.
The court on September 21, 2024 took cognisance of the complaint.
In a related development, the Delhi High Court on Monday summoned Tharoor in a defamation suit where Chandrasekhar sought Rs 10 crore in damages for loss of reputation.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav posted the matter on April 28.
"Let the plaint be registered as a suit. Issue summons to the defendant (Tharoor). List before the joint registrar on April 28," said the court.
(With PTI inputs)