Arvind Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal is a leader full of surprises, and, in recent times, not always pleasant. For a man who is said to have begun his political career by courting the Indian media, it is ironic that his government in Delhi should try to gag the same media by using a law that he himself had fiercely opposed. In his many brushes with previous governments and business tycoons, Kejriwal has had a bunch of criminal defamation cases filed against him, all of which are under Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code—which lets any person whose reputation has been damaged (or was intended to be damaged) by the material in question sue the originator of it for defamation. These cases led him to challenge the validity of Section 499, and the matter is pending at the Supreme Court. But now that he is in power, he is trying to use the same law against the media.

A circular issued by Delhi’s Directorate of Information and Publicity— now stayed by the apex court—sought to allow sarkari officials to lodge a complaint if they came across any news item that hurt the reputation of the CM or his government. But perhaps nobody should’ve been surprised, given the numerous twists and turns Kejriwal has taken in this game of popular perceptions.

Arvind KejriwalDelhi CMmediaSection 499Supreme Court