A Delhi court on Wednesday said it would hear the arguments on Thursday about the issue of framing of charges on a criminal defamation complaint filed by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari against senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh. Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha, who was scheduled to hear the arguments for Wednesday, posted the case for Thursday due to the ongoing lawyers’ strike.

District court lawyers in Delhi are observing strike till May 2 against the delay in tabling in Parliament an amended Bill regarding enhancement of pecuniary jurisdiction of trial courts. Earlier, Singh had contended before the court that Gadkari has not placed any “admissible evidence” against him in the defamation complaint. Countering his submissions, Gadkari’s advocate had said that admissibility of evidence could be seen at the stage of trial.

The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways had earlier ruled out reaching a compromise with Singh, saying he would not withdraw his plea unless the Congress leader takes back his statement of 2012 on his alleged business links with then MP Ajay Sancheti. Singh, who was summoned as an accused in the complaint, had said, “In my life I have never withdrawn my statement.”

Singh was earlier granted bail in the case by the court which, after finding “prima facie” evidence against him, had directed him to appear before it as accused for the offence punishable under Sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of IPC. In the complaint, Gadkari had alleged that Singh had accused him of pocketing Rs490 crore in coal block allocation to Sancheti.

Gadkari, in his statement recorded in the court earlier, had denied having any business ties with Sancheti and said that Singh levelled “totally false and defamatory” allegations against him to “give the impression that I have been responsible for allocation of the coal mines” to Sancheti. Gadkari had alleged that Singh had levelled the defamatory allegations against him to lower his dignity and to tarnish his image.