Parvesh Sahib Singh files defamation suits against AAP’s Bharadwaj, seeks Rs 5 crore in damages

Singh is seeking that Bharadwaj be prosecuted for criminal defamation under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), even as the magistrate court on May 22 fixed the matter for examination of Singh and his witnesses on June 9 and 11.

3 min readUpdated: May 31, 2026 11:29 AM IST

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh (Photo/X @p_sahibsingh)

Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh has filed criminal and civil defamation suits against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, seeking damages to the tune of Rs 5 crores, arguing that the former AAP minister’s “false” social media posts allegedly implied that Singh misused his official position in favour of the accused in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case.

This comes against the backdrop of the AAP Delhi unit chief already facing criminal contempt proceedings before the Delhi High Court in the excise policy case.

On May 20, Sahib filed a criminal defamation complaint before a magistrate court in Delhi, accusing Bharadwaj of publishing “false, malicious and highly defamatory tweets” on May 15 and 16.

In the said tweets, Singh says, Bharadwaj had “falsely alleged that (Singh) misused his position as a Minister to appoint his alleged associate as a Trustee in a private school Trust worth nearly Rs 500 crores” and that Singh exercised influence in favour of the employees of the school, who are accused in a POCSO case.

Singh is seeking that Bharadwaj be prosecuted for criminal defamation under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), even as the magistrate court on May 22 fixed the matter for examination of Singh and his witnesses on June 9 and 11.

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Simultaneously, the minister has also moved the Delhi High Court with a civil defamation suit, seeking damages to the tune of Rs 5 crores from Bharadwaj.

The civil defamation suit was listed before the Judicial-side Joint Registrar Gagandeep Jindal on May 25, who has issued summons to the AAP leader. Taking objection to Bharadwaj’s tweets on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Singh has stated in the suit that the same were “published knowing or having reason to believe that they would harm his reputation in the eyes of the public, peers, media, and society at large.”

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Singh alleged that the AAP leader “for his own political benefit by way of cheap publicity, with wilful disregard for the true and correct facts, sought to contrive a connection” between the BJP leader and his purported associate appointed in the school trust.

Sohini Ghosh

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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