Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today appeared before the Delhi High Court in connection with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) defamation case. He was cross-examined by counsel for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani.

Jethmalani cross examined Union Finance Minister and according to media reports posed some tough questions to him. Jaitley was asked if the defamation suit was owing to his 'personal feeling of greatness'. Jaitley was asked to justify how his reputation has been damaged in an "irreparable and unquantifiable" fashion.

"There is no objective rational reason, besides the value that you put on yourself?" jibed Jethmalani.

Jaitley defended the suit saying, "The loss of my reputation has been partly quantified in terms of money. Loss of reputation causes mental distress to the person defamed, which it did in my case." When asked if Finance Minister was feeling defamed due to his 'personal feeling' about 'greatness', he replied that views were based on opinion of his friends and well-wishers.

In the previous hearing, Jaitley tendered evidence in support of his civil defamation suit against Kejriwal and the AAP leaders. Jaitley had filed the suit seeking Rs. 10 crore in damages after Kejriwal and five Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders accused him of alleged irregularities and financial bungling in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), of which Jaitley was the president for about 13 years until 2013.

Jaitley denied of all charges and filed a criminal defamation case against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders in the Patiala House Court, while a civil defamation case was filed in the Delhi High Court. The Supreme Court on November 22 dismissed Kejriwal's plea seeking a stay on trial court proceedings in the case.

With agency inputs