New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): A Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday granted time to AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj to make arguments on the issue of cognisance in a defamation complaint filed against him by Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma over alleged defamatory remarks made in social media posts concerning a private school.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Neha Mittal granted time to Saurabh Bharadwaj’s counsel and listed the matter for further hearing on August 25.
Advocate Rajat Bharadwaj, appearing for Saurabh Bharadwaj through video conferencing, sought time to make submissions and said he would have to verify whether he had received the complete set of documents relating to the complaint.
Advocate Parveen Kumar appeared physically on behalf of Parvesh Verma during Tuesday’s proceedings.
The case relates to alleged defamatory statements made by Saurabh Bharadwaj on social media platforms, including X, Instagram and Facebook, in connection with a private school named SS Mota Singh.
On the previous date of hearing, the court had issued a pre-cognisance notice to the proposed accused, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and sought his response to the defamation complaint filed by Verma.
The court had granted Bhardwaj an opportunity to be heard under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) before considering whether cognisance should be taken of the alleged offence.
The notice was issued after the court recorded the statement of Parvesh Verma and his witnesses in connection with the complaint.
Verma had appeared before the court during an earlier hearing along with his counsel Vijay Bishnoi and Praveen Kumar.
On July 15, the court recorded the statements of witnesses Kulbhushan Jain and Shakti Singh Sehrawat, while Verma’s statement had been recorded on July 4.
In his statement, Verma alleged that in May 2026, Bharadwaj had levelled false and defamatory allegations against him through social media posts, causing substantial damage to his personal, social and political reputation.
Verma alleged that the posts linked his name to a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act involving an incident at a school in his former constituency in West Delhi.
According to Verma’s statement, Bharadwaj had allegedly claimed that he was helping an accused in the case and had links with the trust governing the school.
Verma has denied the allegations and said that neither he nor his family members have any connection with S S Mota Singh school or its trust.
“I or my family members have no connection with the school, namely SS Mota Singh,” Verma stated before the court.
He further alleged that one member of the trust, Amardeep Singh, was not associated with him and that he had no role in the person’s appointment as a member of the trust.
Verma also alleged that Bharadwaj had made further claims that he had helped make files relating to the trust disappear. He described the allegations as false and malicious.
The Delhi Minister said that he came to know about the social media posts after friends and political workers sent him links through WhatsApp. He alleged that people known to him subsequently questioned him about the claims, which, according to him, damaged his reputation.
Verma also submitted that he had contested elections four times and that his family had a political reputation, alleging that the social media remarks had adversely affected his public and political image.
He further alleged that Bharadwaj neither contacted him nor tendered an apology despite receiving a legal notice.
As part of the complaint, Verma has submitted video clips from May 15, 2026, and social media posts from Bhardwaj’s X account as supporting material.
The court is presently considering the matter at the pre-cognisance stage. Tuesday’s hearing was confined to granting the proposed accused time to present arguments on the issue before the court decides whether to take cognisance of the defamation complaint.
The matter will now come up before the Rouse Avenue court on August 25. (ANI)
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