Overview
- Justice MR Mengdey dismissed the AAP leaders’ appeals that sought to split the criminal proceedings.
- The complaint by Gujarat University registrar Piyush Patel alleges sarcastic and derogatory statements tied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.
- Lower courts, including the magistrate and the Ahmedabad sessions court, had earlier refused separate trials on the same ground of a single transaction.
- The alleged remarks were made at press events on April 1–2, 2023 and were disseminated on social media.
- Courts have issued summons and noted a prima facie case under Section 500 of the IPC, with no determination yet on the merits of defamation.