New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were on Friday granted more time by the Delhi High Court to resolve the issue between them in a defamation case filed by the BJP leader against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief after the two sides said they have not been able to sit together till date.
The submission was made by lawyers for both sides before a bench of justices Reva Khetrapal and SP Garg which posted the matter to October 16.
The lawyers also informed the court that they have not been able to amicably settle the matter, as suggested by the court on July 31, as they were unable to meet each other.
On July 31, the high court had suggested to Gadkari and Kejriwal to "bury" the hatchet over the alleged statement made by the AAP leader and "shake hands" with each other in larger "public interest".
The court had observed there would be no end to such issues and it would be better for both the leaders to amicably resolve it.
On January 30, Kejriwal had made an allegedly defamatory statement against Gadkari in the media.
The court was hearing a petition challenging the May 21
and 23 orders of a magisterial court remanding Kejriwal in judicial custody for not furnishing bail bond in the criminal defamation complaint filed by Gadkari, saying the same was not mandatory and he should have been allowed to give a written undertaking instead.
Kejriwal had in his plea said the magisterial order sending him to judicial custody was "illegal" as it was based on a "completely wrong premise of law."
He had, subsequently, moved the high court against the magisterial order.
However, on the high court`s suggestion he had sought bail from the lower court.
The lower court has put Kejriwal on trial on charges of defamation.
The court framed the charge after Kejriwal refused to heed to the magistrate`s suggestion to amicably resolve the case filed against him by Gadkari, even after the Union Minister indicated that if the AAP leader was ready to withdraw his alleged defamatory statement he would drop his complaint.
