A Delhi court on Saturday issued summons to Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in a defamation complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Babbar over his scorpion remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal asked Tharoor to appear before him on June 7. The court was hearing a criminal defamation complaint against Tharoor for his comment that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "a scorpion seated on a Shiv-ling".
Babbar filed the complaint alleging Tharoor made the statement with mala fide intention, which not only denigrated the Hindu deity but was also defamatory.
Babbar requested the court to initiate proceeding against Tharoor under Section 499/500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Speaking at the Bangalore Literature Festival on October 28, 2018, Tharoor had said: "Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shiv-ling. You cannot remove him with your hand and you cannot hit it with a 'chappal' (slipper) either."
Babbar said he was hurt by the comment as it was not only baseless, but also misleading and defamatory. He also told the court he considered Modi as an inspiration and had the highest regards for the Prime Minister.
