The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi today issued a bailable warrant against former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor in the criminal defamation complaint filed by Rajiv Babbar on his disparaging ‘scorpion on shivling’ remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Bangalore Literature Festival in 2018.
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shri Naveen Kumar Kashyap at the Rouse Avenue District Court, while issuing the warrant for a sum of Rs.5000/-, pointed out that he was taking a lenient view despite the absence of the complainant, main counsel, the accused and his counsel as well. Only a proxy counsel for the complainant was present in the court with an exemption application which the court termed ‘vague’.
Lawyers are boycotting District Courts in Delhi in protest against the inaction of the state against police officials during the Tis Hazari incident.
The CMM also imposed a cost of Rs.500 on Rajiv Babbar for his non-appearance.
On October 28, 2018, Mr. Tharoor had attributed the alleged comment to an unnamed RSS leader during his speech at the Lit-Fest which sparked controversy. He had said, “Mr Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shivling. You cannot move it with your hand, and you cannot hit it with a chappal (slipper) either.”
The case is originally with ACMM Shri Samar Vishal who is currently on leave.
— India Legal Bureau