PM Modi degree defamation case: Gujarat HC dismisses petitions of Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh
In December 2025, Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh moved a separate Special Criminal Application after the additional principal judge of the city sessions court in Ahmedabad dismissed their revision applications.
Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leader Sanjay Singh had held press conferences on April 1 and April 2, 2023, respectively, and used “defamatory language” as well as uploaded related content that had directly “tarnished the image” of Gujarat University. (Express Archive)
The Gujarat High Court Tuesday dismissed two separate petitions filed by Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leader Sanjay Singh seeking relief in the criminal defamation case filed by Gujarat University over their remarks made in a 2023 press conference about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘degree’.
Justice MR Mengdey heard arguments and reserved judgment in the previous hearing on December 22, 2025. On Tuesday, Justice Mengdey pronounced the orders in both petitions orally and separately in court, stating, “The application is dismissed.”
Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh moved a separate Special Criminal Application in December 2025, after the additional principal judge of the city sessions court in Ahmedabad dismissed their revision applications, seeking quashing of the order of a magistrate court dated September 23, 2023, denying them a separate trial.
While Kejriwal sought a trial separate, Singh, in his petition, contended that no criminal conspiracy or common criminal intention could be made out in the case lodged against them.
In petitions before the sessions court and the High Court, Kejriwal contended that the two cases could not be jointly tried, as the accusations against the two leaders were different and the incidents occurred on different dates and in different settings.
The plea also contended that both Kejriwal and Singh had separate social media accounts on Twitter (now X), and, therefore, the evidence against them in the case cannot be “commonly applied” to both in a joint trial.”
What sessions court said
While dismissing the petitions of the two AAP leaders, the sessions court noted that Kejriwal and Singh had held press conferences on April 1 and April 2, 2023, respectively, and used “defamatory language” as well as uploaded related content that had directly “tarnished the image” of Gujarat University.
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The sessions court also noted that the acts of the AAP leaders indicated “continuity of action” and therefore, qualifies for being “charged jointly” under the provisions of Section 223 (a) of the Code for Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which provides for “joint trials of multiple accused persons if their offences were committed in the course of the same transaction”.
During the hearing in the HC in December, Advocate Vishal Dave argued for Kejriwal and Singh, while Advocates Nirupam Nanavati and Amit Nair appeared for the Gujarat University registrar and the complainant.
In April 2023, Gujarat University filed a plaint in the Metropolitan Court in Ahmedabad stating that the statements made by Kejriwal and Singh regarding the degrees of PM Modi and the varsity were defamatory.
Kejriwal and Singh made the remarks following a Gujarat HC order that quashed a 2016 order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing the university to furnish the details of PM Modi’s degree under the Right to Information Act. The magistrate court had issued a summons to Kejriwal and Singh in the matter.
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In February 2024, the Gujarat High Court dismissed pleas filed by Kejriwal and Singh challenging the sessions court’s order upholding the summons issued by the magistrate court.
The Gujarat High Court’s detailed order on Tuesday is awaited.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
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