Panaji: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told a Goa court that he would refrain from making defamatory statements against BJP leader Sulakshana Sawant, the wife of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, until January 24 or till he files a reply to the defamation plea against him, whichever is later.
The submission was made in response to a defamation suit filed by Sulakshana Sawant, who accused Singh of making defamatory comments during a press conference, where he alleged that she was involved in a “cash-for-jobs scam.”
In her plea, Sulakshana Sawant requested an injunction to prevent Singh from making further public statements about her and sought Rs 100 crore in damages. She also asked the court to stop Singh from sharing or republishing the video and transcripts of the press conference in which the allegedly defamatory remarks were made.
Sanjay Singh’s counsel, Advocate S. Bodke, told the court that no further defamatory statements would be made by Singh against Sawant until the next hearing or the filing of his reply to the temporary injunction application. Singh also requested time to submit a written statement and respond to the injunction plea. The case is scheduled for the next hearing on January 24.
The “cash-for-jobs” scam, which has led to at least 32 FIRs and 44 arrests, involved hundreds of people allegedly being lured into paying large sums of money with promises of jobs in various government departments, facilitated by the accused’s supposed “connections”.
Meanwhile, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya on social media platform X said, “Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, has found himself embroiled in a case involving false allegations against Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his wife, Sulakshana.”
“Sanjay Singh’s lawyer has filed an appeal in the Bicholim Court in Goa, stating that his client will not make any offensive statements against the Chief Minister in the future. The Chief Minister’s wife, Sulakshana Sawant, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Singh, seeking Rs 100 crore in damages, with the next hearing scheduled for January 24,” Malviya added.
“Sanjay Singh had made allegations of a job scam during a press conference in Delhi, but he failed to present any evidence to support his claims. It is not new for Aam Aadmi Party leaders to make false accusations and later apologize in court. Earlier, Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders had issued apologies to Nitin Gadkari and the late Arun Jaitley,” Malviya said in the post.
(IANS)
