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No holy cows to protect, says Jaitley on Aircel-Maxis

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Aircel-Maxis

New Delhi: With new charges against former minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti surfacing over Aircel-Maxis deal, the government today asserted in Lok Sabha that there are “no holy cows” to protect and action will be taken against those found guilty, “howsoever important” one may be.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that Enforcement Directorate (ED) and investigative wing of the Income Tax Department, during recent searches in connection with the Aircel-Maxis deal, have recovered several “incriminating” documents which are being scrutinised and charge sheets will be filed.

Replying to a short duration discussion on Aircel-Maxis deal in the wake of vociferous demand for action by AIADMK which has been disrupting the House since yesterday, Jaitley said the matter is being probed by three investigating agencies and it would be taken to the logical conclusion.

“No one will be spared. We have no holy cows to protect. The government is going to the root of each one of these cases,” said Jaitley, who also holds Corporate Affairs portfolio.

Refuting allegations that the government was going slow in the 2G and Aircel-Maxis cases as “absolutely incorrect”, he said in all these cases, “where CBI has come to a prima facie opinion that an offence has been committed, chargesheets have been filed and the trials are going on”.

Jaitley said, “Whatever was the stand of the earlier government, we have not been influenced by that stand at all. The investigative agencies have absolute freedom to professionally record the entire evidence and if they come to an opinion that some people prima facie guilty, the investigating agencies are free to take actions.”

For the second day today, Parliament proceedings have been disrupted by AIADMK members who were demanding action against Karti Chidambaram following reports that he has invested huge sums of money in various countries based on searches conducted at his premises and other related companies.

(PTI)

Tax sops for small I-T payers, hike in super-rich surcharge

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jaitley-budget

New Delhi: The Budget for 2016-17 today offered sops for small and marginal income tax payers, hiked the surcharge by 3 per cent on earnings above Rs 1 crore, levied a pollution cess on petrol, diesel cars and SUVs and offered a one-time compliance window for domestic black money holders slapping a tax and penalty of 45 per cent.

Presenting the third Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also proposed a ‘Krishi Kalyan’ cess of 0.5 per cent on all taxable services to improve agriculture and reduction of duties on project imports for cold room for cold chain, refrigerated containers and a number of other items.

Cigarette and tobacco products will become costlier with the hike in excise duty by 10 to 15 per cent.

While the revenue loss on direct taxes will be Rs 1060 crore, his indirect tax proposal will mobilise an additional Rs 20,670 crore. Net revenue gain will be Rs 19,610 crore.

In a bid to shore up the economy hit by global slowdown, the Budget proposes a 15.3 per cent higher expenditure at Rs 19.78 lakh crore in 2016-17, consisting of Rs 5.50 lakh crore under Plan and Rs 14.28 lakh crore under non-Plan.

The Budget provides an outlay of Rs 162,759 crore for defence in 2016-17, up by 13 per cent from Rs 143,236 crore in the revised estimates for the current year. Capital expenditure on defence has been put at Rs 86,340 crore against Rs 81,400 crore in the current year’s revised estimates.

Interest payment will account of Rs 492,670 crore against Rs 442,620 crore. Subsidies will marginally lower at Rs 250,433 crore as opposed to Rs 257,801 crore in the revised estimates.

In relief to small tax payers, the Budget proposes to raise the ceiling of tax rebate under Section 87(A) from Rs 2000 to Rs 3000 for incomes not exceeding Rs 5 lakh per annum. There are two crore tax payers in this category who would get a relief of Rs 3000 in their tax liability.

Those who do not have house of their own and do not get house rent allowance from employers will get a deduction of Rs 60,000 per year as against existing Rs 24,000.
First time home buyers will get a deduction of an additional interest of Rs 50,000 per annum for loan upto Rs 35 lakh, during 2016-17, provided the house value does not exceed Rs 50 lakh.

The Budget proposes to extend the presumptive taxation scheme to professionals with gross receipt up to Rs 50 lakh with the presumption of profit being half of the gross receipt.

After pursuing blackmoney abroad, Jaitley today offered a limited period compliance window for domestic holders of unaccounted income and assets to declared their undisclosed income and assets and clear past transgressions by paying tax at 30 per cent plus 7.5 per cent penalty and 7.5 per cent of interest, a total of 45 per cent.

For the foreign blackmoney holders, the total tax and penalty was 60 per cent for those came clean.

In the domestic scheme, the Minister declared that there will be no scrutiny or inquiry regarding income tax declared under the scheme under I-T and Wealth Tax Act and they will have immunity from prosecution.

Immunity from benami transaction act of 1998 is also proposed subject to certain conditions.

The 7.5 per cent surcharge will be called Krishi Kalyan Surcharge to be used for agriculture and rural economy.

“We plan to open the window under this Income Disclosure Scheme from June 1 to September 30, 2016 with an option to pay amount due within two months of declaration,” he said.

A Krishi Kalyan Cess of 0.5 per cent would cover all services, proceeds of which will be used for financing incentives for improvement of agriculture and welfare of farmers. The cess will come into effect from June 1.

Raising concern over pollution and traffic situation in cities, Jaitley said he propose to levy infrastructure cess of 1 per cent on small petrol, LPG, CNG cars, 2.5 per cent on diesel cars of certain capacity and 4 per cent on higher engine capacity vehicles and SUVs.

Recalling his last year’s promise of reducing corporate tax from 30 to 25 per cent over a period accompanied by rationalisation and removal of exemptions and incentives, Jaitley today limited accelerated depreciation provided under I-T Act to a maximum of 40 per cent from April 1, 2017.

The benefit of deduction for research would be limited to 150 per cent from April 1, 2017 and 100 per cent from April 2020.

To boost domestic manufacturing and job creation, he allowed new units incorporated on or after March 1, 2016 an option of being taxed at 25 per cent plus surcharge and cess provided they do not claim profit linked or investment linked deductions.

He also proposed lower corporate income tax rate for next financial year of relatively small enterprises with a turnover not exceeding Rs 5 crore in fiscal 2016 to 29 per cent plus surcharge and cess. At present they pay 30 per cent plus surcharge and cess.

In a bid to promote employment through startups under the Make-in-India programme, the Budget proposes to assist their propagation through 100 per cent deduction of profit for three out of five years for companies set up between April 2016 and March 2019.

Minimum Alternate Tax will apply in such cases. Capital gains will not be invested in regulated/ notified fund or funds and by individuals in notified startups in which they hold majority shares.

As part of an attempt to incentivise domestic value addition in the Make in India campaign, he proposed to suitable changes in customs and excise duty rates on certain inputs, raw material, intermediaries and components to reduce cost and improve competitiveness of domestic industry in various sectors including IT, IT hardware, capital goods, defence production, MRO of aircrafts and ships, and textiles.

The period of getting benefit of long term capital gain regime in case of unlisted companies is proposed to be reduced from 3 to 2 years.

The controversial General Anti Avoidance Rules or GAAR will be implemented from April 1, 2017, he said.

The 12 per cent surcharge on personal income above Rs 1 crore has been raised to 15 per cent.

The Budget also proposes to collect tax at source at the rate of one per cent on purchase of luxury cars exceeding value of Rs 10 lakh and purchase of goods and services in cash exceeding Rs 2 lakh.

It also seeks to impose an excise duty of 1 per cent without input tax credit or 12 per cent with input tax credit, on articles of jewellery excluding silver other than studded with diamond or some other precious stone with a higher exemption and eligibility limit of Rs 6 crore and Rs 12 crore respectively.

As an additional resource mobilisation for agriculture and rural economy, the Finance Minister proposed a 10 per cent additional dividend distribution tax on individuals, HUFs and firms receiving dividend in excess of Rs 10 lakh per annum.

He also proposed a number of measures as part of financial sector reforms that includes enactment of a comprehensive Code on Resolution of Financial Firms to provide with a mechanism to deal with bankruptcy situations in banks, insurance companies and financial sector entities.

This Code together with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2015, when enacted, will provide a comprehensive resolution mechanism for the economy.

The other steps include amendment of RBI Act to provide statutory basis for a Monetary Policy Framework and a Monetary Policy Committee through the Finance Bill 2016.
He also announced that a comprehensive central legislation will be brought to deal with the menace of illicit deposit taking schemes.

Jaitley proposed Rs 25,000 crore for bank recapitalisation and said the government will also consider the option of reducing its stake to below 50 per cent.

(PTI)

Modi may move Jaitley out of finance, says report

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Narendra_Modi

New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may look to press the reset button on his leadership this spring to reinvigorate stalled economic reforms and appease critics, eyeing a mix of tried and tested allies and fresh blood, senior government sources said.

The government has overseen rapid economic growth but failed on tax and land reforms, and the euphoria that met Modi’s 2014 election triumph has given way to investor disillusionment; Indian stocks have erased all of their gains since he won power.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces a crucial election test in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh in 2017 that it probably needs to win if it wants to hold on to power nationally in 2019.

“Modi needs to identify new talent and bring changes in his government. It will be too late if he fails to do it now,” said veteran newspaper editor and commentator Shekhar Gupta.

With an eye on Uttar Pradesh, Modi looks set to keep Amit Shah on as BJP president, the sources said, extending his closest aide and election campaign manager’s tenure by three years when it expires at the weekend.

But Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, responsible for delivering the Modi message to international investors, may move to defence after he delivers his annual budget in late February, sources said.

Jaitley, 63, has failed to push through a major tax reform and critics have faulted his stewardship over India’s $2 trillion economy, which is growing fast but not creating enough jobs to employ an expanding workforce.

A spokesman for Modi declined to comment on the move and an official in Jaitley’s office said he had no knowledge of a possible reshuffle.

Moving Jaitley to defence, a post he also held in the early months of the Modi government, could better suit the veteran corporate lawyer and keep the strategically important portfolio in trusted hands.

It would also open the way for power and coal minister Piyush Goyal to take the finance portfolio, while underperformers in other minor posts may be weeded out.

A federal minister and two BJP officials said Goyal, 51, was being groomed for his next big role, and a white paper on banking was recently shared with him to seek his inputs. A Goyal aide denied all knowledge of an impending promotion.

Goyal is a good communicator and has often travelled abroad with Modi, but lacks political and electoral experience.

The ex-investment banker has turned around state-run Coal India, tackled chronic power shortages and backed renewable sources of energy.

Those are key wins for Modi, whose provision of 24/7 electricity as chief minister of Gujarat state helped him become prime minister.

“Goyal is doing a fine job – he has brought a lot of energy to the coal and power sector,” said Rajiv Kumar, senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.

“But I’m not sure he can do justice to the complex finance portfolio,” he said. “Goyal, with his micro orientation, might struggle to get to grips with multi-dimensional and serious macroeconomic issues facing the country.”

Balancing Act

Modi, who has relentlessly centralised power in the prime minister’s office, has held his cards close to his chest and would have the last word on recruiting new talent from a pool of candidates that is short on experience.

Shah, Modi’s right-hand man in Gujarat and the architect of his general election triumph, lost his winning touch last year with a heavy defeat to an upstart party in Delhi and a crashing loss in the big eastern state of Bihar.

That has tested the patience of the ideological parent of the BJP, the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). But, apart from a brief rebellion by party elders, Modi has managed to fend off challenges to his authority.

At a meeting between BJP and RSS leaders earlier this month in New Delhi, Modi made his support for Shah clear. No challenger has applied for the post, meaning that Shah’s term that expires this weekend will be extended by three years.

While party workers praise Shah as a tough and effective administrator, many want him to promote new faces instead of, as he has done, focusing his campaign strategy exclusively on Modi.

Even though Modi addressed more than 30 rallies on the campaign trail, the BJP fell in Bihar in November to an alliance of regional parties. Realising its fate was sealed, it did not even field a candidate for chief minister.

The party’s fortunes will depend on five state polls in 2016 that will build up to next year’s crunch vote in Uttar Pradesh. The outcome of that ballot will set the tone for the 2019 general election.

Shah helped Modi win the biggest general election mandate in three decades by sweeping 71 of 80 seats in the northern state, whose 200 million population is as big as Brazil’s.

“If Shah wins Uttar Pradesh, then no one can stop Modi from becoming the prime minister again,” said one senior BJP leader.

(Reuters)

No government interference in Start-Up India scheme: Jaitley

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New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the new “Start-Up India” scheme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote and nurse entrepreneurship will ensure minimum interference from the government with attractive tax incentives.

“Start-Up India will change conventions. Government will merely be a facilitator for start-ups,” the finance minister told the inaugural session of the day-long event here which will will see the prime minister formally unveil the scheme later in the evening.

“We ostensibly broke away from the license raj in 1991, conceived with idea that government will decide which businesses can run,” said Jaitley. “Our effort in last few years has been to restrict role of the state in policy domain,” he said, assuring Start-Up India scheme will follow that path.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister said he looked forward to the formal launch.

“Start-UpIndia movement begins today. This movement celebrates the energy and enterprising spirit of our youth,” he tweeted. “Will join the programme to commence the Start-Up India movement this evening. Looking forward to interacting with start-up entrepreneurs.”

The event at the Vigyan Bhavan official conference complex has been a top draw.

“There is seating capacity of 1,350 (at Vigyan Bhavan). Over 200,000 people have sought passes. Please sympathise with us. There is live relay,” Industries Secretary Amitabh Kant had tweeted ahead of the event.

(IANS)

Jaitley to open Karnataka investment meet, Rahul to attend

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Arun-Jaitley

Bengaluru: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony for Invest Karnataka 2016, a three-day event beginning February 3, state government officials said on Monday.

Among the industry leaders who have confirmed their attendance to the investor meet include Ratan Tata, Anil Ambani, Anand Mahindra, Sajjan Jindal, Narayana Murthy, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Devi Prasad Shetty, Kris Gopalkrishnan, Gautam Adani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, they said after a high-level committee meeting on the event.

The meeting was chaired by Industries Minister R V Deshpande. It was also attended by Law Minister T B Jayachandra, Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhav, Additional Chief Secretary (Commerce and Industries) K Ratna Prabha among others.

Invest Karnataka website lists out Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Venkaiah Naidu, Suresh Prabhu and also Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi among the dignitaries attending the investors meet.

Officials said the partner countries that have confirmed their participation in the summit include France, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, UK, Italy and Germany.

As a run up to the Invest Karnataka 2016, the state has successfully conducted international Road Shows in Mexico, Peru, Dubai. It also conducted the national level road shows in New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, they said.

Deshpande had also led a delegation to US and France to attract investments, they added.

(Agencies)

Kejriwal, 5 others gave false statements against me: Jaitley

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arun jaitley

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today recorded his statement in a Delhi court in a criminal defamation complaint filed by him against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders, accusing them of making false statements against him and his family members.

During the recording of his statement, Jaitley told Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal that Kejriwal and these five persons had given “false” and “defamatory” statements against him and his family members.

Jaitley, who appeared before the court amidst tight security, also said that statements have been made to deflect attention from CBI probe against a particular person who is working with Kejriwal, court sources said.

The security personnel did not allow any mediaperson to enter the court room and only the advocates have been allowed to attend the closed-door proceedings.

Jaitley had on December 21 filed criminal defamation case against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders — Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpai — for allegedly defaming him and sought their prosecution for offences that entail a punishment of upto two years in jail.

The complaint was filed under various sections of the IPC including 499 (defamation), 500 (punishment), 501 and 502 (printing and sale of defamatory matter).

In his complaint, Jaitley had said that the CM and other AAP leaders, with common intention, have from December 15 undertaken “a false, malicious and defamatory campaign against him and his family members for political mileage causing irreversible damage to him.”

The complaint referred to some of the allegations made by AAP leaders in press conferences, including one that claimed that the CBI raided the office of Delhi government official looking for Jaitley’s “tax scam files” and that there was corruption worth several hundred crores under Jaitley’s tenure and that he had shielded DDCA for over 15 years.

Jaitley had said such statements have been made orally and through Twitter handle of the AAP leaders which have been carried by electronic and print media from December 15 to December 20.

(Agencies)

AAP levels fresh allegations against Arun Jaitley

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arun jaitley

New Delhi: Continuing its offensive against him, AAP today alleged that Arun Jaitley, in his capacity as President of DDCA in 2011, had “pressurised” the then Police Commissioner to “close” an investigation involving a cricket club of a private bank.

The party released two letters, purportedly written by Jaitley, to former Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta and then Special Commissioner Ranjit Narayan, requesting them to “fairly” deal with the matter and “close” the case since “DDCA has done no wrong”.

The party also renewed its demand for Jaitley’s resignation in the wake of the “fresh disclosures”. The letter to Gupta is dated October 27, 2011 while the one written to Narayan is dated May 5, 2012.

Senior AAP leader Ashutosh claimed that the letters “punctured” the Union Finance Minister’s repeated assertions that he was in no way connected to any wrongdoing in the Delhi and District Cricket Association, which he headed from 1999 to 2013.

Reacting to the allegations, BJP Spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao asked as to what was wrong in Jaitley writing a letter to the police commissioner. “He was not even in power so the charge does not stick.”

In the letter to Narayan, Jaitley is quoted as writing that “some persons have been repeatedly approaching Delhi Police with complaints in relation to the identity of the Syndicate Bank Cricket Club.

“The complaints are completely unsubstantiated and do not disclose any offense. Certain office bearers of DDCA are feeling harassed by repeated questioning in this regard. I would request you to look into this matter so that it can be fairly dealt with and closed since the DDCA has done no wrong.”

When contacted DDCA said the club is under them and that it currently falls in the “institutional” category.

“There are two types of clubs namely institutional and private. While a private club receives a subsidy, an institutional does not and that is the broad difference between the two,” a DDCA official said.

The AAP said it is an irregularity as it involved the alleged conversion of an “institutional club” run by Syndicate Bank to a “private club” through “collusion” of DDCA officials with certain private individuals not connected with the entity.

“Can Jaitley deny that his actions amount to directly obstructing the police investigation in an ongoing case? On what basis did he conclude that the complaints were unsubstantiated and disclosed no offence?” Ashutosh asked.

In the letter to Gupta, Jaitley is quoted to have written that the entire controversy is based on the fact that Cricket Club of the Syndicate Bank was converted as a private club.

“The fact is that on 2/11/2005 the bank itself had written to one Bhola Shankar who was managing the club that the club shall henceforth be run by him and be a private club. Subsequently the Bank changed its position and Shri Bhola Shankar also agreed to hand back the club to the bank.

“The DDCA is willing to give the club back to be managed by the bank itself but nobody seems to be showing active interest from the bank’s side. However, some persons who are not employees of the bank or in any way connected with the bank or the club have been pursuing some complaints in this matter,” the letter said.

Jaitley requested Gupta to look into the issue and “ensure that the matter is dealt with fairly and closed since the DDCA has done no wrong.”

AAP stressed on the fact that Jaitley held the position of the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha during that period which effectively means that he “misused” a constitutional position by trying to “influence the probe”.

“Given Jaitley’s political clout in this Central government, is it fair for you to continue as a Central minister, particularly when the Delhi Police directly reports to the Centre?” Ashutosh asked.

(PTI)

BJP suspends Kirti Azad for attacking finance minister Jaitley

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kirti-azad

New Delhi: Kirti Azad, lawmaker and former Test cricketer, has been suspended by his party the BJP for publicly targeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with allegations of corruption in Delhi’s cricket body DDCA.

In a one-line statement, the BJP said Mr Azad has been suspended for “anti party activities.”

The 56-year-old lawmaker from Darbhanga in Bihar, defied party chief Amit Shah’s whip and held a press conference on Sunday, all but naming the finance minster while alleging deep corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association or DDCA, which Arun Jaitley headed for 13 years.

Amit Shah, said party sources, had met Kirti Azad twice on Friday last and warned him against going public with his charges against Mr Jaitley, saying it would hurt the BJP and the government it leads.

In rebellion unprecedented in the BJP’s history, Kirti Azad also took on Mr Jaitley on the floor of Parliament, seeking a CBI investigation monitored by a special investigation team into his allegations. He signed off by reminding the House, “and we know who was heading the DDCA between 2008 and 2013,” a reference to Mr Jaitley.

On Twitter, he challenged Mr Jaitley to sue him, attacking the minister in multiple tweets.

Mr Jaitley has dragged five leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to court over their allegations of corruption against him, but he made no such move against Mr Azad, amid speculation that the BJP would punish the lawmaker after the winter session of Parliament ended today.

The BJP has rallied around Mr Jaitley, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah making strong statements in his defence. PM Modi told party lawmakers at a weekly meeting that Mr Jaitley would come out of the controversy “with flying colours.”

Kirti Azad found support today from fellow BJP lawmaker from Bihar, Shatrughan Sinha, who called him a “hero” and warned the party against taking action “against friend who’s fighting against corruption.”

(Agencies)

Kejriwal seeks Modi’s resignation, attacks Jaitley

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arvind-kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation for ordering a CBI raid on his office.

Launching his fiercest attack yet on the prime minister, Kejriwal told the Delhi assembly that the CBI raided his office – notwithstanding the CBI’s denials – because it was looking for a file on the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

“I demand Prime Minister Modi’s resignation for the fraudulent raid he ordered to save (Finance Minister) Arun Jaitley,” who had headed the DDCA for years, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said to thumping of desks by his party colleagues.

Kejriwal also asked Modi to sack Jaitley because of his involvement in the DDCA, where critics have alleged largescale financial bungling. Jaitley has claimed innocence in the entire affair.

If Jaitley was indeed innocent, he should prove this to the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Delhi government, he said.

“He should feel ashamed,” Kejriwal thundered, referring to Modi and the December 15 raid by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which has denied searching Kejriwal’s office and said that it only targeted his principal secretary Rajendra Kumar for corruption.

December 15, the chief minister said, was “a black day” for India.

Kejriwal accused Modi of constantly interfering in the functioning of the AAP government.

He said he had urged Modi to let the AAP government work without interference but “he did not agree”.

“The CBI said the chief minister was not raided… Only his principal secretary’s office was raided. If this is indeed true, why did they enter my office?” Kejriwal asked.

He said they were looking for a file on the DDCA, and alleged that despite 50 hours of interrogation spread over six days, the CBI had not been able to build a case of corruption against Rajendra Kumar. “They are mentally torturing him.”

Kejriwal poked fun at Modi for wearing a Rs.10 lakh suit last year, and demanded to know how a “chai wala” (tea seller) could afford such a costly suit.

The AAP leader denied accusations that his party had earlier advocated independence for the CBI but had now done a U turn.

“Even today we say that the CBI should be independent. And the day it becomes independent, it will not raid Rajendra Kumar… It will send a notice to Modi to ask where you got Rs.10 lakh to buy the suit.

“The CBI is not independent. Don’t fool the people.”

(IANS)

DDCA row: Jaitley files defamation complaint against Kejriwal

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arun jaitley

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday filed a criminal defamation complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders for making what he said were false allegations about irregularities in the DDCA.

Jaitley said the allegations levelled by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders will cause “irreversible damage to his reputation”.

Advocate Sidharth Luthra told the court that the minister did not take “a single penny” from the Delhi and District Cricket Association and that Kejriwal and AAP leaders had made defamatory and baseless charges.

“No member of the family of Jaitely is involved in any capacity with the companies involved in the DDCA case,” Luthra told the court.

He cited Facebook and Twitter posts of AAP leaders to show how Jaitley was defamed.

In his complaint against Kejriwal, Jaitley also named AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas, Raghav Chadha, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai.

Jaitley, who headed the DDCA for 13 years till 2013, has been accused of corruption by Delhi’s ruling AAP. He has denied the charges.

Kejriwal has demanded that Jaitley must resign from the government or be removed as finance minister to enable an independent probe into the DDCA affairs.

(Agencies)

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