Delhi High Court Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the AAP and four of its MLAs, including Alka Lamba, for not filling written statements on a defamation plea filed against them by former member Vinod Kumar Binny.

Joint Registrar Neera Bharihoke slapped the fine on the party, and four of its members — Lamba, Manoj Kumar, Raju Dhinghan and Bandana Kumari.

Binny’s defamation plea sought damages against them for “maligning” his reputation by their “false defamatory remarks and illegal protests”.

The Registrar had directed the MLAs to file their statements against the allegations levelled by Binny.

Binny, who fought the 2015 Assembly polls on a BJP ticket, has sought punitive damages of Rs 50 lakh from Lamba and Rs 50 lakh in total from the other three members.

In his plea, filed through advocate Rahul Raj Malik, the BJP leader has also sought orders restraining the AAP and its members from “publishing… issuing statements in debates/discussions or reporting/publicising in any other manner, matter of any kind directly or indirectly implicating or holding the plaintiff (Binny) guilty for remarks posted against the defendants (Lamba and others) by unknown or third persons.”

“The reputation of the plaintiff has been severely destroyed by the defendants through TV channels, print media and also social media. This was done with the sole objective of furthering their political ambitions and settling personal scores by resorting to vendetta politics,” the plea alleged.

An FIR was recently lodged by Cyber Cell of Delhi Police against Binny and 37 others under Section 66A (sending offensive messages through communication service) of IT Act and sections 354D (stalking) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of IPC, on a complaint filed by Lamba.

Lamba had alleged in her complaint that Binny had falsely accused her of running a sex racket at her house, on social media.

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