Swamy's tweet attacked my integrity and character: Bagga tells Delhi HC

New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) BJP member Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga on Friday told the Delhi High Court that Subramanian Swamy's tweet against him attacked his integrity and character.

Bagga has filed a reply before Justice Ravinder Dudeja, who is hearing the case in which Swamy moved the high court challenging the summons issued to him by a magisterial court in the defamation case filed against him by Bagga, and sought quashing of the proceedings.

Bagga has claimed that in September 2021, Swamy alleged in a tweet that before joining the BJP, he (Bagga) was jailed many times for petty crimes by the New Delhi Mandir Marg police station.

The reply said that the "categorically false" tweet alleging "criminal antecedents" attacked his integrity and character.

It said that the tweet also damaged his reputation, as Bagga was summoned by senior BJP leaders to explain the allegations.

"Reputation is not measured by political appointments but by esteem in the eyes of right-thinking members of society," the reply said.

It said that the Mandir Marg police station never arrested or jailed Bagga, and that Swamy had a "history of making controversial statements on Twitter".

Rubbishing Swamy's claim that the tweet was based on information received from "Delhi journalists", the reply said that he "cannot be allowed to abuse his freedom of speech by making false and defamatory statements with impunity".

Granting time to Swamy's counsel to file a rejoinder to Bagga's reply, the court posted the matter for further proceedings on April 6. PTI MNR MNR KSS KSS