On Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi took a significant legal step. Specifically, she filed an application in a sessions court to challenge a summons in a defamation case brought against her by BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor. The controversy began with Atishi’s claims that the BJP approached several AAP MLAs with cash offers aimed at destabilizing the AAP government.
In her application presented to Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Gogne, Atishi sought to contest a May 28 order from a magisterial court. This order summoned her in a criminal case. Consequently, Kapoor accuses both Atishi and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of defaming him. Furthermore, the sessions court instructed Kapoor to file his response by October 7, when it will hear further arguments.
Interestingly, the magisterial court previously decided not to summon Kejriwal as an accused in the case. After Atishi complied with a summons, the court granted her bail on July 23. This sequence of events has set the stage for the ongoing legal battle.
Atishi claims that the BJP contacted 21 AAP MLAs. They allegedly offered each MLA Rs 25 lakh to switch allegiance. In response to these allegations, Kapoor filed a criminal defamation complaint. He asserts that Atishi‘s claims lack basis and supporting evidence. Thus, he argues that she has failed to substantiate her claims regarding these poaching attempts.
As this legal battle unfolds, both the AAP and BJP face significant implications. Notably, the case highlights the intense political rivalry in Delhi. Therefore, stay tuned as the court proceedings continue and more developments emerge.
Kolkata: On Friday, January 10, 2026, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha members demonstrated against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her actions after the ED raids at the I-PAC office and its chief Pratik Jain's home. | In relation to an alleged coal smuggling case that stretches back a few years, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and Pratik Jain's home on Loudon Street in Kolkata on Thursday, January 8, 2025. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a protest against the ED raids on I-PAC after the raid set off a political storm in the state. Why is a chief minister endorsing Pratik Jain, and who is he? Pratik Jain, a political strategist and co-founder of I-PAC, is a graduate of IIT Bombay. He is credited with helping I-PAC grow into one of the most significant political consulting organizations in India. I-PAC was established in 2015 and offers services like data-driven campaign management, support for governance, and voter outreach initiatives. It has collaborated with a number of Indian political groups throughout the years, notably West Bengal's Trinamool Congress (TMC). I-PAC reportedly collaborates closely with Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, and his office. The company oversees the IT and media division of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and is in charge of creating its election campaigns. Mr. Jain was in charge of the Trinamool Congress's IT cell, according to Ms. Banerjee. According to his LinkedIn page, Jain, an engineering graduate from IIT Bombay, started his career as an analyst at the consulting firm Deloitte. He was one of the first members of Citizens of Accountable Governance, which later evolved into I-PAC. Arvind Kejriwal, M.K. Stalin, Jaganmohan Reddy, Uddhav Thackeray, Rahul Gandhi, and Nitish Kumar are just a few of the prominent figures with whom the political consultancy firm has collaborated.…
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